With A Sigh Of Resignation
by The Grey Coincidence
Summary: Dianbo is a lost soul. He has lost his master, his mother, his friends. His one true love was never pretty inside or outside, and was dead anyways. To start a new life he moves back to his ancestral home, further west than he has ever been. Of course a new life includes.. bandits... And slavers... And his siblings... Half-Siblings... Siblings... Of course he was going to regret it.
1. Life Is A Rickshaw Ride

**A/N: Behold, the fic that toes the line between full remake and editing. I debated for a long time to just publish this over the original- or to publish it separately and archive the original. In the end I went for this, as you can probably guess from, you know, being here. Why exactly? Well it's mainly because I a) need to fill out the ending a bit, and b) it's these first few chapters that I'm the keenest to actually work on (this first chapter is entirely re-written... mostly coz I wanted something slightly funny) Plus I didn't like the title much. I mean Village Champion's not bad, but kind of sells the wrong image. I mean... people did think this was (another) tournament fic... But my blurb didn't help that... or the title...  
**

 **I like the new one, but at the same time... I don't know... if anyone has any better ideas I'm glad to hear them.**

 **It feels weird looking back on this and remembering how... different... my life was back when I wrote this. I remember I went through a kind of 'reading' phase, where a lot of my inspiration came from books in my school's library. I also was still at school back then... needless details about my personal life *aside*.  
**

 **If you haven't read the original... don't worry too much. If you haven't read any of my fics before... also don't worry too much. This is a pretty stand-alone story compared to the rest of my work. Also gonna experiment with a slightly different style of narration.**

 **Now, I should probably get to writing, shouldn't I? Oh and fair warning... these chapters are gonna be short. Because though I am adding more to this fic... it wasn't too long or complicated to begin with...**

 **Disclaimer: This fic is not meant to represent Historical India or modern India or Vedic India in any way shape or form. The sake of this story is to entertain, if you were expecting to learn some real facts... you probably won't find them here. None of this was done with the malicious intent to insult or mock anyone else's (in this case specifically, Indian) culture.**

The sun beat down mercilessly upon the dry and arid climate. Noone was too sure why of course, perhaps the dry and arid land had insulted the sun somehow and the great ball of light had responded with violence. Or perhaps it was because the sun was a mean bully who liked beating land like a slavemaster. Or it was because the specific patch of dry and arid land was situated directly in the star's line of fire. That was if you believed the earth was round... Or that the sun was a star... It looked more like a planet...

And what a planet it was! A great, beautiful, shining jewel that could dazzle and blind the poor astrologers foolish enough to stare at it. Because staring directly into the sun was darn right stupid.

The ground was hot underfoot, like a freshly fried samosa, but not quite as oily. Nor was it as soft. Perhaps long ago it had been sand, crushed into place by the weight of the countless travelers that had walked, hopped, skipped, jumped, pranced, crawled, rolled or dragged themselves across it. That was not accounting for all the birds that at some point in history had decided to land on that particular spot and enjoy the...well... there wasn't really anything to enjoy.

Alternatively the ground had always been hard and hot and harsh. Such mysteries often remained so.

The few grasses that dared to grow from little cracks in the sun-baked soil were yellow and crisp and waiting to be blown away by the first soft breeze. Not that a soft breeze would come anytime soon. Here in the desert a breeze was as rare and uninvited as the rain- though just as desirable.

On a long and winding and dust-filled road that stretched out further than most eyes could see, what looked like a small herd of young elephants pulling a cart came to a sudden halt. This was alright for them, since they didn't have to worry about the ground beneath them suddenly shifting momentum. The paying customers of Gurjot and Ravi's Rikshaw's (encompassing rickshaws for big and small alike) did not have that luxury and were promptly thrown about in an untidy pile of tails, fur and paws.

"Singh Station!" Trumpeted the driver. There was silence, save and except for the groans of those rising to their feet. There were few of them for most were no longer sure who's feet belonged to who. "I repeat Singh Station!"

"I though the last one was Singh Station?" Mumbled one elephant to another, as their disgruntled passengers pulled away from one another.

"That was the one before last and that was Singh Station number two. This is Singh Station number four!"

"But what about three?"

"Three comes after."

"But-"

"It's not like I named it."

While his subordinates bickered the Chief Elephant was getting impatient. "Last call! Singh Station! Does anyone need to _get off?_ " Determined to keep up with his (extremely tight) schedule the bull (he was an elephant, but male elephant's can be called bulls too, despite not truly being bovine) gave his rickshaw what he considered an experimental shake. In truth it was more like a miniature earthquake that sent his unlucky (and already planning to sue) customers, back into the floor.

From the bottom of the pile of green-faced travelers shot a transparent paw made of glass. "Me! This is my stop!"

With the impressive and truly underrated skill of freeing oneself from a doggy-pile consisting of at least thirty canines, a dozen camels, twelve mice, three mongoose, four tigers, eight peafowl, and one misplaced hippopotamus, the jackal dragged himself free of the tangle of limbs and dug his paw back in to extract a suitcase. Skipping carefully over his fellow travelers the jackal exited the cart.

"That'll be four rupees."

"One second."

Dianbo came to a halt on the side of the road and after some rummaging freed up the coins and a map he'd bought in the last stop.

The elephant took the coins in his trunk, and carefully calculated them, as if worried he was getting even slightly under the (admittedly cheap) fare.

The small canine tried to attract the much larger mammal's attention. "I do have a favor to ask though. If you could just point me in the direction of-"

"All aboard!" Tooted the elephant, who was either ignoring the canine completely, or was simply too tall for the sound to reach his ears.

"Wait! I just need to kno-"

A cloud of dust cut his speech short and sent him into a coughing fit. By the time it cleared, the rattling cart, it's drivers and the poor pile of animals within, had vanished completely.

A scowl traced it's familiar path along the jackal's face. _How typical..._ The scowl fell quickly however, overthrown by the even more familiar sigh of resignation.

At first glance this jackal was nothing of interest. Thin. Small like the rest of his kind. Unoriginal sandy brown fur. At first glance there was nothing out of place. Except the near-constant and semi-uncomfortable twitching of his eyes. And the one glass paw he had. And the metal whip curled around and stuffed into a small holster on his belt. And the heavily bandaged upper half of his muzzle. His pants were a plain red, his vest yellow and open at the front. Not because he wanted to show off any bulging muscles (not that he had any to speak of) but because it was more comfortable like that.

Dianbo's eyes darted from both corners of the map. If only it told him exactly where he was... And if only his village was on it. His village wasn't on any maps he could afford. That last fact was bothersome to say the least. Rolling the map shut, he shoved it back in his case and begun the long trek.

At least he was in the area... hopefully...

At some points in his journey he had contemplated turning back. 'Some points' was putting it too lightly... He had debated turning back every second of the way, and each time had decided against doing so.

Yes, his knowledge of the language was sub-par (especially for someone who carried an accent as thick as his). Yes, he had never really been to India. Yes, he was going further West than he'd ever been. Yes, he had no idea what kind of reception he'd get whenever or wherever he arrived. The further West he traveled the less people knew about China, and Kung Fu... and how to pronounce his name. And how to cook something that was not overly-saturated with spices. Yes, this was probably a bad idea.

But on the other paw he didn't really have anything left in China. Yes, he was the former pupil of the legendary Master flying Rhino. Yes, he had unlimited options in terms of employment. Yes, he could probably make a living just talking about his late Master. But ultimately... if he did that he'd never be able to move on. His Master had passed, of old age. His mother... had always been frail and sickly, strong though she was, and had not long outlived the Kung Fu Master. He'd gone on to compete in a tournament, with the hope of perhaps winning but ultimately... His paws instinctively went to the bandaged upper muzzle.

It hadn't helped with coping. Ironically it had only added to the grief...

Shaking his head from side to side, to free himself from those dreaded thoughts, the jackal continued onwards.


	2. Life (And Sanjay) Is Not Funny

At long last Dianbo came upon a village. In all honesty the glare of the sun did not bother him much, after all he was built for this kind of weather. Still the small sign was a welcome one.

It was not particularly large, and was set at the foot of an exceptionally tall hill. The buildings were dull, unimpressive little structurres of mudbricks and reed roofs. Stretching out along the path ahead of him seemed to be a kind of carpet of indiscernible colour- as it must have once had many, but was now old and a dull grey.

The jackal retrieved his map, turned to the sign and began to decipher the language. Chinese was his mother-tongue now, no matter what his accent said to the contrary. And unfortunately, Chinese did not have an alphabet- the very idea of one had been exceptionally hard for him to wrap his head around. It did not help in the slightest that there were at least a dozen dialects.

There came the sound of shuffling and Dianbo looked up from his map. It was like looking into a funny mirror- the kind that warped one's reflection into something humorous.

It was a thin jackal with the usual sandy fur of their species. Only his was far more disheveled and dirty. The jackal wore a pair of pants with more pockets than Dianbo cared to count, along with an old-looking brown vest torn down the middle. At present he was also wearing a pair of fluffy pink slippers.

Dianbo raised an eyebrow. The newcomer's face was furrowed into the most powerful look of concentration the jackal had ever seen.

"Can I help you?" He did not want to sound demanding or rude, but in all honesty his fellow jackal looked like he'd been run over by one of the rickshaws... And the elephants driving them.

"Are you okay?"

The other jackal remained silent as he continued to shuffle forwards.

Dianbo could not help but stare. For one thing he had never seen anyone as rundown as this, yet at the same time there was something uneasily familiar about the jackal's appearance.

The stranger was right in front of him now and with a small 'boop' proceeded to poke Dianbo on the nose.

With a sensation rather akin to getting struck by a (small) bolt of lightning, Dianbo shot into the air. He gave an undignified yelp upon landing, his fur puffed-up to thrice their regular size so that he resembled an excessively large jackal-shaped pillow.

The other jackal had ran back a few feet, laughing his head off. Of course the ceaseless spasms of comedic instinct brought him down on his back. All the better to kick one's legs in the air and clutch at shaking ribs.

Dianbo recovered first, or rather his temper caught up to him before his fur went back to normal... Not that it would go flat for a while... Stomping over to the laughing jackal he was overcome with a sudden, overwhelming urge to kick him. He however, decided against that course of action. Master Flying Rhino would not approve of it... Instead he crossed his arms and tapped his foot, waiting for the 'comedic genius' to recover.

His foot was still tapping the ground twenty minutes later, when in-between fits of giggles the other jackal managed to blurt out his excuse.

"Well I've been doing this for a while so when everyone noticed the slippers they figured something was up. I can't shuffle very fast so it's kind of unfair that they all run away from me. Hehehehehe! You're new here aren't you?"

"Yes." Twenty minutes later and the effects of static electricity had yet to subside.

"Nice to meet you. The name's Sanjay." He offered his paw but pulled it away upon noticing Dianbo's complete lack of interest. Instead he decided to carefully replace the slippers with a pair of sandals-all of which somehow fitted into his pockets. He rose to his feet, but did not bother to dust himself off.

"You know it's considered polite to give your own name."

Dianbo could not surpress the indignant growl. To be schooled in the art of manners by the same person that had greeted him with an electric shock! Still he managed to spit out his name, as viciously as he could. "Dianbo."

"Diablo?"

"It's foreign." He admitted. "Here, repeat after me. Dian."

"Dian."

"Bo."

"Bo. So you're Dian Bo?"

"It's one word. Dianbo."

"Hmm, can I have that in writing?" From his pockets, the jackal extracted a quill and a clean sheet of paper.

The scowl. The sigh of resignation. Dianbo accepted the quill, and placed it onto the parchment.

"Oh wait, you need ink, right?" Sure enough the jackal also had a jar of ink. Sanjay gave the lid a twist but it refused to budge. Gritting his teeth, he proceeded to try and pull the lid clean off. This worked, for him at least. The sudden shift in the jar's momentum as well as the lack of protection, gave Dianbo's unprotected, puffed-up face a generous coating of the unusually-sticky substance. "Believe me when I say that was unintentional." It was hard to believe him when he was grinning so hard.

"You have three seconds to live."

"Accidents happen man. Besides, it could be worse."

"Oh, I doubt it was an accident."

"Come on! I don't want to run for my life now! I just ate!"

"One."

Sanjay sighed and pulled out a brush. "You left me no choice."

"Two."

The brush shot forwards, and drew a quick pair of spectacles and mustachios on the jackal's muzzle.

Dianbo blinked, there was the sudden urge to unleash his full and complete knowledge of Kung Fu upon this other jackal... Well it wasn't actually sudden, there had been a lot of build-up to it. "Three!"

Sanjay darted a few feet ahead, but Dianbo, though he wanted to kick the other jackal's face in... Had been trained differently. The jackal turned away, grabbed his suitcase and proceeded to walk away as determinedly as he could.

"Hey man, there's no need to get all emotional about all that. It was just a joke. Come on, I bet you joke all the time."

"I am not getting emotional, I'm saving my time and energy by walking away, there is a difference."

"But you just got here Diablo-"

"Dianbo!"

"Okay, at least let me fix your fur."

This made Dianbo stop for a second. On one paw it was likely this was another prank, on the other he couldn't really travel... Like this... It was probably a good thing noone here knew him. Anyways he wouldn't be staying for very long.

"Fine."

The town, contrary to expectations, was bustling. Children raced from one corner to another whilst vendors shouted increasingly cheaper prices to attract the customers darting between one cart to another. The air stunk of people and at least a dozen different species, but he was unsure how much of that was just his nose remembering the Rickshaw. There did not seem to be any hippopotami here, anyways.

Of course the large amount of people and the fact that he was both a new-comer and closely resembled a stuffed animal attracted a large amount of stares. Not that Sanjay seemed to mind, his grin was just as wide as ever.

"So what brings you to my domain?" Asked the jackal, casually removing the belt of a rhino stooped over some vegetables. A gale of laughter followed, just as they moved out of sight. "Actually, scratch that. Where're you from?"

"China."

"Bless you."

"No! I'm from China."

"Huh, so's my sister. Well, half-sister anyways. That's West from here right?"

"East. China's east." Dianbo corrected. "What is this place called anyways?"

"Roti."

"Like bread?"

Sanjay shrugged. "I didn't name it. Besides it was either that or Papa Doom-"

"Papadum! Papadum! Six rupees a plate!" Shouted a vendor.

Sanjay waved away the fennec fox. "No! It's fine, I wasn't talking about you."

"Five with a side of laddu! Okay!"

Sanjay facepalmed. Then shrugged. "Must be my karma. You'd think that with ears that big he'd know what a 'no' sounds like though, right?

Dianbo shrugged noncommittally. He waited patiently as Sanjay accepted a plate of wafer-thin crackers and payed the amount due.

"So where you heading?"

"It's a small village not too far from here, called Upma I think. It's not on any maps though so-"

"Well the reason it's not on any maps is... Because..." Sanjay gave a shrug. "No clue I'm not really a map-maker. More like a social... Hmm experimenter?"

"I'm sure one day you'll change the world." Dianbo replied through gritted teeth.

Sanjay exploded into laughter, and smacked him on the back. It probably would have hurt if not for the dense layer of puffed-up fur. "Nope! No ambitions here whatsoever!"

"Why am I not surprised?"

Sanjay gave another (exxagerated) shrug. "Maybe you're psychic." He paused briefly to haggle an orange- no, mango, off a vendor. Dianbo understood some small chunks of the conversation (it was a different dialect), but it seemed that Sanjay had earned the horse's ire- something about itching powder.

After what felt like half an hour of standing and getting stared at by everyone that walked by (not to mention having some children play with his flurrier-than-usual tail), Sanjay heaved a great sigh and turned to Dianbo. "That is why you don't give people underwear for their birthdays. I think he didn't like the pattern- lots of hearts and rainbows- but you know, having itching powder round the rump is an acquired taste."

"I'm sure it is." Was Dianbo's deadpanned response.

"Well it was either his underwear or the socks- and I did socks last year so I didn't want to beat a dead horse."

Dianbo 'humphed' contemptuously, before taking the opportunity to change the subject. "So how do I get to Upma from here?"

"Oh, it's just around the hill. I'm on my way there now, anyways. As a matter of fact I live there, just have to pick up the kids."

"Kids? You have children?" From what he'd seen of Sanjay so far, he'd make a terrible father. Even worse however was that this other jackal lived there...

"Of course not! But I get a couple of rupees for picking them up and anyways I need to get a new whopee cushion." Whether Sanjay was oblivious to Dianbo's look of utter disapproval or just didn't care, was a mystery worthy of any detective.

Right on cue Sanjay found his supplier and got his brand new whoppee cushion, which he proceeded to 'test' every time the duo passed another villager. This was often accompanied by loud snickering from Sanjay's part, and a scowl of disapproval on Dianbo's.

It was a while before they reached the school, and was one of the most humiliating experiences in the jackal's life. Sanjay waited patiently until a gong struck, signalling the exodus to come. A veritable stampede of young folk flew out the gates, shouting words like 'freedom' or 'to the sweet shop' at the top of their lungs.

Yet none of the children seemed the least bit interested in Sanjay or Dianbo. The latter was about to ask, in a tone of annoyance, what was taking so long, when he found his mouth full of whoppee cushion. Sanjay had pulled out his ink jar and brush and was proceeding to paint silly faces on all the passing children. Tears and glasses, beards and mustachios. If Dianbo had been an artist he'd have been impressed. As it was he was simply annoyed.

"Hey kids, let me introduce my new friend Diablo-" Dianbo growled. "Dianbo. He's come all the way from China to visit this place so you had all better be on your very best behaviour." This advice was of course, hypocritical, but in all fairness Sanjay had not unleashed the itching powder...yet...

The children chorused in greeting, looking almost as ridiculous as him in their new coat of ink. One offered to carry his bag, and two others snatched it from him. Then no less than fifteen of them grabbed him by the paws and half-dragged, half-lead him away. Sanjay pulled up the rear and Dianbo realized with a horrible sinking in his gut, that now there was no way out of his predicament.

 _I should have probably stayed in China..._

* * *

 _Footnote: Yeah, another chapter that was entirely re-written. I didn't really like the way I skimmed over some things in the original- and Dianbo's arrival is something I really wanted to expand on. He's a foreigner so there are some language difficulties, but these won't be emphasized *too* much. I also skipped over his and Sanjay's meeting the first time which bothered me a little so yeah, had to have some fun here._

 _First of all since this is something I usually end up forgetting... Sanjay belongs to and is the property of Berserker88. You may have heard of him... He's kinda popular..._

 _The pacing of this chapter and the next might be a little off, but somewhere around the middle of Chapter (counts fingers) Four the action should kick in. For now just introducing the cast._


	3. Life Is Full Of Characters

There was not much walking to be done before they arrived at Upma. Miraculously, Dianbo's fur had begun to flatten down. Of course, it still was far scruffier than he would have liked, but at least he no longer put pillows to shame.

If he had had any expectations about the village he'd have been disappointed. He counted no more than twenty huts of mud-bricks and reed roofs, a third of which lacked entire walls. There were no roads, merely a dirt path and a dilapidated sign that desperately clung to half the village's name.

But in all honesty the jackal wasn't expecting any better. His mother must have left for some reason, and it wasn't like a village barely on any maps would turn out to be a thriving metropolis.

The children quickened their pace, so that the jackal had to jog to keep up with their now-desperate sprinting. All his attempts to count them had been defeated by virtue of their number, and the fact that they (and his eyelids) refused to remain still. Although numbers had escaped him, species had not. Deer, tigers, a lone boar, half a dozen fennec foxes, some kingfishers and a tortoise. Still it was a relief that the further they went, the less children surrounded him, having since found their own homes. After a while, he was left alone with the fennec foxes, and reached the last house, one that looked very much like it was on the verge of collapsing.

"Mama!" His vulpine entourage chorused. The addressed vixen waiting for them was wearing a scowl worthy of Dianbo himself. She was not slim by any account and calling her anything other than 'chubby', 'plump' or 'wide' would be downright dishonest. Of course, calling her such things would have to be done at risk of life and limb.

She brandished a pan at them, all the better to underline her inner rage. "Don't 'Mama' me! How many times have I told you to stay clear of that jackal!" She shot Dianbo a glare powerful enough to make him flinch. "You know that ink doesn't wash off! And you know that if you keep following him around you'll end up a lazy, good-for-nothing lack-wit who can't grow a crop to save his life! And then what'll become of you? Who's going to manage the farm? And who's going to take the rice to market? Well? What do you have to say for yourselves?"

The jackal was impressed by how effortlessly the vixen had subdued her lively pack of kits. They took it in turns to apologize (in great detail) for the spectacles and mustachios drawn on them. When they were done their mother proceeded to huff, as if the apologies had not been enough.

"I expect better from you next time. Especially you Surya! As the oldest- do not roll your eyes at me young man!"

The fox in question stood slightly apart from the pack. His fur was the scruffiest and his face covered in a thick layer of ink that made him look part-raccoon. He shielded his ears in silence as his mother ranted at him for a full twenty minutes, by which time Sanjay had strolled over to watch. When she was done the vixen sent them inside. She then turned to the pair of jackals, and briefly her anger vanished and was replaced with confusion. "Since when were they two of you?"

"Oh, Miss Dal, please allow me to introduce my brother Dianbo." He leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially. "He's from China."

"Brother?" Dianbo asked sceptically. "Is _everything_ a joke to you?"

"You bet it is!" Sanjay replied, shooting him a pair of finger guns... Not that he knew what guns were.

"Well haha! That was actually funny. As if we could possibly be related." Yet even as he said it he could not help but notice the resemblance, made even more apparent by the fact that his fur was untidier than usual. The jackal's stomach began to sink.

"China, eh?" A new voice joined the conversation and from out of nowhere another jackal appeared. This one was female and reminded Dianbo bitterly of his mother. It was probably the fur- the typical sandy-orange that was so common to his species. And virtually identical to his and Sanjay's coat, albeit currently much better groomed.

"Yes... China..." He answered, eyeing her wearily, as if expecting another electric shock.

"Me too!" She offered her paw for a high five, which took Dianbo a few seconds to respond to. "Name's Tian Yi."

"My sister." Sanjay added, unnecessarily.

"Welcome to Upma." She said with a smirk. "I see you've met Sanjay." Addressing said jackal Tian Yi crossed her arms. "Did you tickle him?"

"Tickle?" Dianbo demanded, stepping slightly out of reach of the prankster.

"Not yet."

Tian Yi rolled her eyes. "He's just like that. Threw itching powder on me the first time we met." At this Sanjay began to snigger. "That was not funny!" The she-jackal snapped, advancing suddenly with fist raised.

"I was laughing about something else." He insisted, darting behind Dianbo to put something inbetween himself and his vengeful sibling.

"Humph, sure you were."

Dianbo watched the exchange with interest. If the dread rising within him was to be believed then he was staring at his siblings. Tian Yi didn't seem so bad but he had known her for less than five minutes. Sanjay, who he'd had the incredible displeasure of having been acquainted with was annoying. And that was putting it lightly. They couldn't be related! Fur colour was trivial. The resemblances were small, existing either by coincidence or due to species-related things. They didn''t even smell very similar. Although that could be down to bathing habi-

"What's with your paw?" The question brought him back to reality with a jolt.

Frowning slightly he held up his good paw... Or rather, natural paw. It was almost entirely useless. The bones within were unnaturally hollow, leaving his paw dangerously brittle. As a pup walking on all fours had been difficult, and this was perhaps, why he never did so. His other paw had been the same, until a couple of months ago when-

"Hellllllloooooo!" Sanjay was waving a paw in front of his face.

"Your other paw." Tian Yi said, eyeing him strangely, as if he'd just spaced out of their conversation.

With a sigh of resignation, Dianbo held up his glass paw for the pair to gawp at.

"Woah! I can see through it!" The she-jackal sounded mesmerized.

"It's glass." Dianbo snapped impatiently.

"How did you get it?"

The jackal scowled and moved the paw out of their line of vision and behind his back. "None of your business."

"Judging from the bite marks, I'd say your paw was bitten off."

"Hi Shade." Tian Yi greeted the afformentioned jackal with a wave.

Shade bore her no mind and continued his analysis. "Judging from the size and shape of the bite marks it was done by a large mammal. I'd guess either a small-ish bear or a large wolf."

"You're very perceptive." Dianbo said hesitantly. A bear had bitten it off... Of course if he hadn't Dianbo would not have been standing there.

"I take it you're new here? Welcome to Upma." His voice was not exactly welcoming. It did not sound like he cared or was particularly interested in being answered.

Shade was a jackal Dianbo could very easily deny being related to in any way shape or form. For starters his fur was pitch black-very rare for their species, but not entirely unheard of. He wore a pair of black pants, completed with a trench coat that was also (you guessed it) black. A pair of short swords hung from a belt around his waist. His outfit was complete with a simple chestplate.

"It is unfortunate that you missed the funeral." He spoke nonchalantly. "I am sure your father would have been touched that you travelled this far for it."

"Funeral?" Noone had told him anything about a funeral.

"A ceremony reserved for the cremation of bodies." The black jackal answered. His face had not changed in the slightest during the entire conversation.

"Well done Shade. Doom and gloom everywhere you go. Try and smile a little it's the guy's first day." Sanjay then turned to Dianbo. "Sorry about him, he's like that sometimes. Well, always-"

"Who's funeral?"

"Our dad's." Sanjay said, indicating himself and the other jackals.

"It was a really big event. Lots of people came. There was a feast and... Well this was about two weeks ago. Want to see the tomb?"

Dianbo tried to shrug as casually as possible, but could feel his guts sinking. He had travelled so far, to leave the funerals behind him and find some sense of purpose. And all that travelling, all that running away... Was for a tombstone.

That was the final nail in the coffin. Dianbo dragged his paw across his face. His mother had never spoken much about India and her time here, but he was of course aware of his father's name.

Ravi. It was a small name, scratched near the top of a large red rock adorned with hundreds of similar names. He had never really given much thought to his father. Yes, he had probably been a great man, but greatness had never seemed particularly wonderful.

"He would have been glad you came." Tian Yi's paw was on his shoulder, as if he needed comforting.

"I never knew him." The jackal said with a shrug. He had come to the obvious conclusion of their conversations and seized the opportunity to change the subject lest he start mourning a man he'd never known. "I take it we are related?"

"You catch on quick." Sanjay's grin gave no hint as to whether or not he was being sarcastic.

* * *

Two hours later Dianbo was pacing under a coconut tree. Debating. With himself.

Why had he even come to India? Was he even still in India? He'd gone so far east that for all he knew he could very well have been in another, far-off country. Could it possibly be that by some strange coincidence he'd happened upon a village that shared the name of his own, who's own Ravi had died recently, who just so happened to have some jackals that resembled him ever so slightly? Probably not.

But that was not really his main issue. So what if his father was dead? He'd spared his old man little thought in life, why waste his breath now that he had passed? No, the real issue was that he had no idea what he was supposed to do now. He'd arrived at Upma, the end goal of his journey had been successfully achieved. Now what? Was he supposed to turn back and hike all the way to China? He didn't even have that much money left, and was uncomfortably aware of his own hunger. Of course, food was the last thing on his mind right now. What he really wanted was...

What did he want?

Peace? Solitude? Love? He'd doubt he'd find any of that here... nor had he come here to find any of those to begin with. What did he even want to accomplish? There was nothing left to strive for...

Supposing he went to Gongmen... Master Flying Rhino had a son, the almost as legendary Master Thundering Rhino. Perhaps he was better off finding peace along with the son of his former Master. He shook the thought away as quickly as it had come. He had never met his Master's son, this was mostly due to geographical inconvenience. But from what he'd gathered the pair of rhinos hadn't been particularly close. Besides, his presence would only add salt to the wounds. Master Flying Rhino's passing had not been too long ago. It was strange that one of the greatest Kung Fu Masters of all time... had died in his sleep. Ironic yet somehow fitting.

The jackal had never dared rise above his station- he was the larger mammal's student- nothing more, nothing less. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more he realized how much he'd loved the old warrior. Sometimes they would train vigorously, sometimes they would meditate, sometimes all he would do was listen in awe as his Master recounted old tales of epic combat and true heroism. There were times when the jackal felt... he was almost a father...

Yet now his armor hung in the Hall of Heroes, and his soul lived on in the Spirit Realm. At peace.

Unlike his prodigy.

He growled in restlessness at the sight of the setting sun. He was bored. That was it. His one and only obstacle, yet also the only obstacle he could not overcome.

* * *

Surya found the jackal two hours later. It was only polite to offer the newcomer a place at their table- especially since it looked like he had nowhere else to stay for the night. Huts weren't built in a day. Of course an invitation to dinner was all well and good, when the one delivering said invitation wasn't a mute.

He did not blame his parents for forgetting- they had enough on their paws to deal with, and that was not counting the farm, his siblings or his uncle.

He had tried his best over the years to overcome this particular impediment, to no avail. At one point he had carried around a stack of cards with all the letters of the alphabet, to re-arrange into a sentence when needed. This was all well and good, unless said sentence repeated letters.

He wore no shirt, and saw no reason to, for the weather was always hot. His pair of pants were baggy beyond belief, and clamped tightly to his waist by a belt several sizes too big. He had yet to, and doubted he ever would, grow into his sandals, which were at least five times bigger than his feet. His uncle had never been good with ideas, and the elephant clothes were his worst one yet. Right up there with the chili-flavoured lassi.

He was named for his fur, a golden pelt that was shinier than his siblings'. Albeit often much dirtier. It came with being the oldest... and with being around Sanjay. His long, large ears twitched slightly and sound was what brought him to Dianbo. His eyes widened at the display in front of him, and briefly, he was in love.

Dianbo had decided a while ago to try and distract himself with training. It hadn't proved particularly helpful and the wide, sweeping motions of his forms were sloppy and inaccurate, a side effect of his distraction. His kicks were half-hearted and slow, and the motions of his whip were like that of a fish, wrenched from the water and forced to flop upon the land.

Yet to Surya, who had never seen anything quite like it, it was an art form. He had heard tales of Legendary warriors of Kung Fu that lived far, far to the east, and who hadn't? Yet hearing it, and seeing it performed so wonderfully in front of him, were two completely different things. And without question he preferred the latter. His heart was set and his mind wandered- if he could only do a fraction of this display... His belt could serve as a whip no doubt, it was certainly long enough. His feet were short like the rest of him but-

Dianbo jumped lazily into the air, and performed a sloppy kick forwards.

But if he could jump like the jackal than no doubt his size would be the least of his worries. And the last thing the villains he fought (for there was always some villain to fight) would see would be the decisive underside of his overlarge sandals, coming towards them.

"Hello?" Dianbo asked cautiously, and dragged the young fox back into reality.

Remembering himself, the kit opened his mouth, reminded himself of his muteness, and beckoned for the jackal to follow.

A frown of suspicion grew along Dianbo's muzzle. "Did Sanjay send you?"

Surya shook his head, this much he could do. He made another 'follow me' motion, which Dianbo continued to eye skeptically. Growing slightly annoyed the fox took him by the paw and tried his very hardest to drag Dianbo with him. All this earned him was a raised eyebrow.

"You know... I do know the language right?"

Surya nodded vigorously, and continued to try and tug the jackal forwards. Dianbo promptly lifted him off the ground. "What's the hurry?" His frown was severe and Surya tried his best to make his face look _slightly_ less nervous.

"Mister Da-Bo!"

The addressed jackal turned to find another kit racing towards him, waving his little paw to grab the larger canine's attention. "What is it?"

"Mommy says you're welcome to eat dinner with us and you can sleep on a rug if you have nowhere else to stay."

Dianbo debated this for a little while, before deciding that he had nothing better to do (and that he was hungry). "Why didn't you say so?" He placed the little fox back on the ground.

Surya gave him the most deadpanned look he could muster.

"With all due respect, sir. He's a mute sir. He can't talk."

Dianbo suppressed the urge to facepaw. With a sigh of resignation, the jackal followed them both.

* * *

 _Footnote: Okay... the third chapter that was completely re-written... There shouldn't be too many more of these, and the action should start properly in the next chapter. This is also the third time I've changed the name? I don't know which you prefer. I like the naming convention of the chapters, but Life Is A Road didn''t fit for me._

 _So I shall let you wonderful people decide:_

 _All Roads Lead To Ashtar_

 _Life Is A Road_

 _With A Sigh Of Resignation_

 _The choice is yours._

 _Several new characters introduced here. Tian Yi is an OC of TheyTookMyUsername who was changed up a bit for this story._

 _Shade belongs to Mind Jack._

 _Just to reiterate, Sanjay is Berserker88's._

 _Surya and Dianbo, are mine._

 _The next chapter should be... Eventful._


	4. Life Is Full Of Villains

"My Lord! My Lord, the sun is upon us! You must rise. Rise at once and seize the moment! The moment of your greatest success yet! Imagine the glory! The beauty! The gold! The-" A toad, dressed purposefully in rags, entered an extravagant tent. Her slime-coated skin was brown, the same brown colour as the contents of a toilet. She was unnaturally thin, all the way from her lean, long face, to the tips of her webbed fingers. Covered from head to foot in tattoos of bright yellow that meant nothing to the untrained eye, the prophet continued to shriek of all the wonderful omens she had seen in the fire, the clouds, the air, the sky, even her bowel movements, until at last the tent's occupant had had enough.

"SHUT UP!" The porcupine sat up suddenly, his short, sharp quills drew long gashes along his poor blanket as they bristled in anger. "Every fricking morning's the same. For the last time, we are _not_ raiding at dawn!" He rubbed at sleepy eyelids and fell back on the bed. Or rather the large bear he was sleeping on.

Putana withdrew, muttering mutinously. The damn porcupine still did not believe in her omens.

Captain Crotos Quillus was not a particularly large mammal. Roughly the height of your average red panda though considerably stockier and with a rather plump belly. His bed was his bear, his mount, his confidante and quite frankly the only thing he loved. A feral beast he'd managed to befriend in the arena of Ashtar. She had been small at the time, an underfed cub barely larger than himself. Licky, as he fondly called her, was no longer small of underfed. She was nothing short of giant and dwarfed not only himself (and he was small anyways) but his entire crew of rogues and thieves.

For that he was thankful- if not for her he'd have been overthrown years ago. As it was none dared to question him if he sat atop her head. Plus he enjoyed not being _literally_ looked down upon every time he said something.

"My Lord! I have seen it!" The Prophet cried, rushing back into the tent, her arms open in reverence. "I split the sacred coconut. I scattered the blessed bones. I felt my stomach twist- 'Tis a sign! A sign! Riches await us if we strike immedia-"

"I said _shut up!_ " He shot to his feet, the blanket fell off and with a jolt he remembered he wasn't wearing anything. "GET OUT!" He roared, rushing to cover himself with the desolate remains of warm cloth.

The cursed toad obeyed, but not before Quillus was sure his dignity had been stolen from him forever. Snarling in rage he snatched at a pair of old black pants that had seen it all. Blood, water, wine, even a little pee sometimes. Still it wasn't like he needed new clothes- his last pair of pants had lasted him roughly ten years.

His tiny black eyes darted to his still-sleeping bear. Licky was snoring softly. Either her hearing was bad or she was used to his shouting. Or both. Both was possible. Still it was unfair that she got to sleep while he was humiliated every fricking morning!

"Wake up." He hissed into her ear only to be replied with a grunt. "I said WAKE UP!" His small grey form was promptly shoved aside by the bear's grunting head. Growling, his paws shaking into clenched fists, he marched forwards determinedly, only for the large feral to roll over and crush him flat. His small feet were all that remained visible to the outside world, though his muffled shouting was not too shabby either.

"Captain." Came the raspy voice that was growing uncomfortably familiar. "As always?"

The Weeper did not miss the sound of snorting, his ears missed little. He approached slowly and crouched besides the bear. A few gentle shoves and she rolled over again, yawning sleepily.

Quillus was not amused, and tried and failed to pull himself free of the ground. Unfortunately his spines were stuck deep into the earth and try as he might to kick his feet here and there, he would need further assistance.

The leopard grabbed his Captain by the front and pulled him free of the earth, before setting him down gently on the floor.

Quillus snarled. "This wouldn't have happened if that damn toad left me alone!"

"You were bare before her?"

"Never fricking mind I was a bear before her! What are you here for?"

"You sent me scouting. I am here to give my report." The leopard paused, as if waiting for confirmation.

Quillus, who was busy trying and failing to pull chunks of blanket off of his back, eventually snapped. "Well give it then!"

"There are two towns slightly west of here. A large hill divides them from one another. One is poor and barely populated, the other is much bigger. The prey there will be vastly superior. It shall be a good hunt."

"We are going _raiding_. Not hunting! How many times do I have to remind you?" The Weeper paused, as if contemplating the question. "Just go on."

"However, the first town lies directly in our path. There is a small forest to the South of this town. If we follow it we can go around both the town and the hill and strike the town from it's Southern-most point. There is a house of children not far from there. You will find good slaves there. Opposite this house there lies a pair of huts. One houses rice, the other dal-"

"Okay! Details, details. Just tell the others the specifics. I only need to know about this house of children. They make the best of slaves, young ones. Break 'em in young and they'll never rise to overthrow you."

"Of course." The Weeper crouched down and waited.

"You can leave! Okay? Now scram!"

The albino leopard obeyed and slid out from the tent, wiping his paws on the fabric as he did so. His Captain was not a clean creature. Filthy fur, naturally grey- a dull colour if ever there was one. Always covered in dust and dirt. Occasionally even the slime of his pet bear. Yet, despite his lack of sanitation and the bothersome spines that stuck out from his back, the Weeper could not deny that he was tempted to one day try a piece of the porcupine's prominent flesh. Such was the way of the Kucha, still drilled into him, despite his banishment.

A paw traveled over to the left side of his face. A vicious burn trailed down his face and beyond, engulfing all his left side. The bandages around his arm and foot, a vest of old leather padding and some brown pants concealed it all as best as could, but there was no hiding his face. No fur grew, revealing pink, black and horrible flesh. His eyes were a cruel red, and highlighted the pristine whiteness of his fur. He had been born lucky, with such beautiful white fur. A sign from the Gods, that he was destined to do great things.

And he had to some extent. He had the reputation of a killer, and half of Quillus' band were scared of him. The other half were merely intimidated. After all, he was the best hunter, the best scout, the best fighter. Besides, as some learned the hard way, the consequences of disagreeing with him were... severe.

Dressed in old, slightly-rusting armour, the figure of Bei the Black drew closer. Lean and scowling darkly, her arms crossed tightly around her middle, she approached. Her fur as dark as ebony. Or perhaps, darker still. She was not much taller than him, nor was she any broader. Yet her form was free of all and any wounds. No burns. No scars. She was just as whole as ever.

"Heard you went scouting." This was her tight-jawed greeting.

"I did. We shall have fun hunting together." He patted her shoulder and made to barge past, but was stopped.

"Raiding. We are going to steal and we are going to capture. Hunting is not what we're interested in."

"Speak for yourself. Hunting is _all_ I'm interested in. It is our tradition. When I was young I often went hunting with my brothers. We would catch something and we would feast. I hope to feast today Bei. And I hope to kill."

Bei scowled, then shook her head. "Do what you will. So long as Quillus gets all the slaves he wishes."

"Will you feast with me Bei?"

The female growled. "Do not think I will stoop so low. Hunting is your tradition, not mine. Though if you were talking about breakfast, I don't see why not."

* * *

 _Footnote:_ _The Weeper you might remember from the Feral Islands, where he was kinda sorta the main antagonist. He is going to be pretty important going forwards. Those that have read the Feral Islands probably already know why he hates magic.  
_

 _Putana is the Prophet, albeit revamped and renamed. She is named after the witch/demoness that haunted my childhood. To cut a long story short she was a baby killer. This toad isn't *that* evil (yet). She's just a slaver that happens to believe in prophecies.  
_

 _Bei the Black belongs to kajjnegna, and continuing with the 'tradition' of adding new characters in every remake (Denko, Tianqi, Mulaohu. etc)... here she is. More on her later. Try and see if you can guess her species for now. Hope I wrote her alright.  
_

 _As for Quillus, well he's somewhat prominent, but he's in the same boat as Gutou Daisui in that I've never gotten round to talking about him. Hopefully I'll be able to give some of his backstory here... I think you'll find it paints him somewhat more sympathetically. Though maybe that's just because I've always liked him._

 _ _Crotos Quillus, the Weeper, Putana and Licky all belong to me.__

 _Now *most* of the cast has been introduced, but there are still a few others I haven't forgotten about (but you may have) that'll turn up later. For now, enjoy the villains, tell me your favourites, so on so forth. We'll head back to the jackals next time._


	5. Sometimes Life Happens Slowly

Dianbo was naturally an early riser. Even the change in climate did not stop that. Being the early bird, or rather jackal, had many advantages. He could start training early on and finish with most of the day still intact. Alternatively he could meditate. Master Flying Rhino had always stressed the importance of meditation, though his pupil had never really been a fan. Stiffing a yawn as best he could Dianbo got to his feet.

Last eveining's dinner had been... eventful to say the least. He was still getting used to all the extravagant spices of Indian cuisine, and had been unlucky enough to find a few chilies on his plate. The experience had been bad enough- and only highlighted by his natural dislike of milk. It was not a commonplace ingredient in China. Yes it was necessary for young, growing mammals to drink their share. Yes, his mother had always stressed the importance of it- least of all for one with paw-bones as weak and as brittle as his. But upon reaching the age of three he'd been thankful to leave the substance behind.

India though, had forced it upon him. Half of all meals had it in one shape or form, whether it be soured into cheese, turned to yogurt, disguised as a sweet or served warm with cinnamon. He did not like thinking where all of it had come from...

Pushing thoughts of dinner aside Dianbo got to his feet, stretched a little and narrowly avoided squishing one of the foxes that had haphazardly chosen to go to sleep near his feet. Another thing that was strange to a foreigner like him, was the apparent lack of beds. Sure the richer folk no doubt had all the usual pomp and pillows, but most were not 'richer folk'. The family of fennecs for example, lay strewn about the single large room of their hut. The floor was not exactly uncomfortable and there was more than enough space for them all.

But Dianbo had risen before them and was now facing the sole disadvantage of being an early bird- any and all sounds were magnified a hundred-fold. Still he had not spent a lifetime learning Kung Fu to be tripped up by something like this. Footwork after all, was his forte. Hopping carefully over his slumbering hosts the jackal reached the door- or rather the old carpet that separated the inside of the hut from the outside- and slunk into the street.

Deciding that he would resume his inner debate from the previous evening, Dianbo trotted towards the coconut tree. He was surprised to find it was occupied.

Shade seemed almost at one with the world around him as he stared at the incoming sunrise. If not for the rather distinct coloration of his fur Dianbo would have missed him entirely.

"Good morning."

Shade gave no reply, made no noise nor any gesture. It was as if Dianbo had not even spoken.

"I see you're meditating." Dianbo was not even sure _why_ he was trying to engage in conversation. Most likely his new worst enemy... boredom.

Again the black jackal did nothing.

"Where are you from?"

"Such information is trivial. Now please, I am trying to enjoy my sunrise." That was all Shade would say. The speech was dull and displaced, as if the jackal was at once saying them, yet aloof from them.

His spot taken by the least social of his siblings the Dianbo decided he was better served finding somewhere else to practice. Shade's almost otherworldly way of speaking unnerved him and perhaps he was getting a little trigger-happy with his conclusion trampoline, but he doubted his brother was even capable of emotion.

He arrived back on the main street to find Sanjay creeping out of a particularly large hut. Upon noticing him the jackal made a 'shushing' motion, before beckoning him closer.

Deciding he would later regret this, Dianbo padded over. "What is it?" He asked, his voice low so as not to wake anyone.

Sanjay did not seem to share his concerns, or if he did his giggles were poorly suppressed. "I put Aryan's giant hand, in a giant bucket of warm water." He exploded once more into a fit of giggles. "It took forever to heat up, but it'll be so worth it!"

"That wasn't very nice." Was Dianbo's utterly deadpanned reaction.

Sanjay mock-pouted for half a second before his grin returned. It was growing uncomfortably familiar. "I didn't do it to you, now did I? Besides, what's wrong with a little laughter?"

Dianbo shook his head. "You know one day, karma's going to come and bite you in the backside."

Sanjay shrugged. "And I'll still be laughing at everyone and everything. Say, you want some breakfast?"

"No thanks. Knowing you it would probably end up everywhere except my mouth." Dianbo once more made to scuttle away.

"Alright. Enjoy your hot _milk_ , with _milk_ curds and _milk_ powder and _milk_ sweets with extra _milk_. Tian Yi hates the stuff too and I'm guessing it's a Chinese thing? Ah well, I'm just going to have some good old chapattis. _Without_ milk."

Dianbo did not need further reminder of the entire process behind the drink and followed.

"So what exactly did you _do_ in China? I mean you had to earn a living somehow, right?"

Seeing no reason to be dishonest, Dianbo answered truthfully. "I was the sole apprentice of a Kung Fu Master. I would learn from him and occasionally help him deal with the usual thugs and bandits. This one time I had to save the daughter of a very rich cat..." He trailed off. For some reason he'd fallen in love on that particular mission. With nothing less than one Safi Tamod. Had it really been love? It certainly wasn't _lust_ , but there was something strange about calling it love when the person was dead... and most of their interactions hadn't exactly gone smoothly.

The pair did not walk for long before Sanjay pointed out an especially shabby hut and marked it as his own.

"Home sweet home!" He pointed at the door. "After you."

Dianbo did not budge, but rather, his foot tapped the ground impatiently. The usual frown wormed it's way onto his muzzle. "Let me guess. I walk through the door and a bucket of water drops on me?"

Sanjay looked slightly hurt. "Do I look like the type of jackal that booby-traps their own house?"

Dianbo sighed. "Sorry it's just..." Shaking his head he made his way to the door and pushed it open. Sure enough a bucket of water fell on him. It was swiftly followed by the sound of Sanjay's laughter.

"Because I am! I so, very much am!" It probably would have been wiser of him to get away, but Sanjay hopped over, chuckling non-stop. Removing the bucket he patted Dianbo consolingly on the back. "No hard feelings, right?"

"Only a few." Dianbo's paw had closed around his vest before he could dart out of range.

"You wouldn't _really_ hit your brother, now would you?"

A second later, Sanjay's head poked through the remains of his bucket. "I should have seen that one coming." Removing the carcass of his old tool (which he would no doubt find some way to use) he proceeded to whip out a pair of feathers. "Though your own karma's not looking too good at the moment."

Dianbo crossed his paws skeptically. "I was the only prodigy of one of China's greatest Kung Fu Masters, and you're threatening me with _feathers_?"

Tian Yi came upon them a while later. She found the pair in a laughing tangle of orange fur and limbs. Rolling her eyes and feeling a whole lot older than she really was, she stomped over and pulled them apart.

"Sanjay! Stop picking on him, he just got here."

"I'm not picking on him!" The jackal protested. He held out both feathers, one at a time. "'Sir Laughs-A-Lot' and 'Twitchy' were."

"You _named_ them?" Both jackals sounded deadpanned, though Dianbo's voice was considerably more dazed.

"Of course I named them! They're family."

Tian Yi facepalmed. "Go steal someone's belt or something. How about some breakfast Dianbo?"

The forced laughter had taken a lot out of the jackal, so much so that he barely registered the question before he was being lead towards his sister's house. However, by the time he returned he was more or less back to normal.

"So... Master Flying Rhino, huh?"

"You've heard of him."

"Who hasn't? Kung Fu Masters practically rule China! I used to play with his action figure!" She giggled at his raised eyebrow. "Come on, like you haven't."

"I didn't even know who he was when I first met. He asked for directions and I gave them... didn't really think about it until my mother told me. _And_ I was never really the action figure type. It wasn't that big in my village."

"It was big everywhere though!"

"Nah, wrestling was our thing. Looking back, none of us were any good but... we all did it."

"So how did you become Master Flying Rhino's _prodigy?_ "

Dianbo did not like the mocking flair she used to emphasize the last word. Regardless he saw little harm in entertaining her request. "Well... I used to watch him train. And er... one day I fell out the bush and he offered me a shot at the dummy and well... I sucked. Broke my paw." He waved his good paw for emphasis. "I got home that night and mother was ill so I didn't bother her with all the details and I went to sleep wanting to never see that dumb dojo ever again. Three guesses who came to visit the next morning. He said he liked my spirit, but I'd say he was just being nice."

He sighed longingly before continuing. "My mother was so proud that day. Said she was glad I was her son." His eyes, and in truth his thoughts, were all so far away, to a time and a place he'd left behind long ago, yet in truth had not left behind at all.

Tian Yi brought him back to reality. "We're here." His sister's hut was not particularly large, nor was it particularly small. It was quaint and no different from the rest, save and except for a smell that was at once familiar and out-of-place.

"Dumplings!" Dianbo squealed in delight as Tian Yi raised a lid to reveal a huge pot of pearly-white delicacies he never knew he'd miss so much.

"Yup. Don't get me wrong, India's great and I love it here. But nothing, and I repeat _nothing_ -" She tossed him a pair of chopsticks and chose one for herself. "Can beat our land's cooking."

One bite was all that was needed for Dianbo to agree.

* * *

For some reason he was fighting an elephant- one that greatly resembled his class' teacher. Yet despite the fact that he was dealing with a mammal at least a hundred times his own weight, Surya was unafraid. In truth the thought of fear was in and of itself laughable. What was there to be sacred of? The hulking beast roared and made his beast faces. It's muscles bulged out unnaturally, so that if one had the mind to do so, counting the veins along his arm would not be a challenge. And of course it was not a challenge. He was a Kung Fu Master!

With one effortless leap Surya was level with the elephant. Casually he stretched out his tiny foot, so that it sent the huge monster hurtling through the air and through several hundred hills. With grace that would put peacocks big and small to shame, Surya landed upon the ground. As soft as a pillow, as light as a feather.

Yet when the horde of now-monstrous, deformed creatures with twisted faces and out-of-place claws burst through the earth, he morphed at once into a fighter worthy of legends. His microscopic fist created a crater so large it was as if someone had plucked up the Himalayas and hammered it into the earth. His horde of opponents were sent high into the air, but that did not stop their onslaught of vicious roaring, screeching and... vile profanities. Uprooting a large tree, Surya proceeded to bat away at his opponents, banishing them hither and thither with the slightest of efforts.

When he was done, he shoved the tree back into the earth, patting the soil gently around it and even managed to sprinkle some water on it. He turned away, too well-trained to mark his territory the old-fashioned way.

He found his family waiting for him, and grinned.

Then his mother spoke and his face fell. "It's time for school!"

He wanted to whine. He was an all-powerful Kung Fu Master! Why did he have to go to school?

Then he was being shaken awake and his eyes opened blearily. Then he remembered that he was _just_ Surya- not Master Fennec Fox. He also realized that he was missing a belt.

"C'mon Surya! We're going to be late for school!"

Although to the outside world he made no sound as he hiked up his pants as best he could (they were not exactly light) on the inside he wished so badly for five more minutes in bed...

* * *

 _Footnote: Action, excitement, the mysteries of milk!_

 _In all honesty Indian cooking is famous for it's spices, but I think milk is what really ought to stand out from it. It's everywhere! Especially in sweets. I debated giving some kind of explanation to where it all comes from but... there are some details about the lives of anthropomorphic animals that need never come to light. Anyways that little tit-bit to keep you all up at night... aside..._

 _I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot, it may seem slightly filler-ey but I figured it would be nice to develop the cast a bit *before* sending them on an epic adventure/quest/mission. And while that *may* sound like (and might just a little, probably, be) an excuse for Sanjay to prank people I do think that Surya got a decent chunk of the chapter (and a dream sequence, which should be somewhat reminiscent of Po's original one) for himself. And we got some of Tian Yi so... even distribution? I mean... Shade got to meditate right?_

 _Enjoy._


	6. Life, Scuffles And Misunderstandings

Common courtesy was what made Dianbo take the children to school. After all the foxes had given him shelter. It was only fair he return the favour in some way. Luckily for him none of the kits were morning mammals, or else he'd have had his paws- paw- full.

Unfortunately Sanjay was a morning mammal. Or rather a mammal that would do anything for a prank. Booby-trapping a door he probably didn't use was one thing- but sneaking in through someone's window to throw copious amounts of itching powder on their clothing was another. And Sanjay did both without remorse.

"It's not like they're going to _do_ anything about it. I've been doing this all my life- and not once has anyone managed to return the favour."

"I hit you with a bucket."

"Ah, but there wasn't any water inside it, now was there?" Sanjay patted his head. "The student has yet to become the master. But the same applies for everyone. You should have seen Aryan try and get revenge on me once. He filled his trunk with water to try and spray me with it, you know elephant stuff, but what he didn't know was the water temperature."

"So he snorted ice-cold water?" Dianbo's face was frozen in an image of pure disinterest- an attempt to show the young minds they were escorting, that such behavior was looked down upon by society at large. Not that that stopped any of them from staring at Sanjay in awe and reverence.

"Boiling hot." Sanjay shrugged. "What can I say? Karma's got my back. Which reminds me, I'm going to need more itching powder now."

The uphill climb was nothing for Dianbo, but the same could not be said for the foxes- and his brother- who were panting some distance behind him. He had to wait a full ten minutes at the top before any of them had reached him. Sanjay was the last to arrive, but upon reaching the summit and catching sight of all the glorious houses of unwary targets he sped up considerably, so that before anyone else had reached the bottom, he was out of sight.

"Doesn't anyone lock their door?" Dianbo was forced to ask.

"Nah mister, it's considered rude here."

"Yeah mister, it's like saying 'I don't trust you' or 'I don't like you'."

Dianbo scoffed. "In China, it's common sense."

"Well would people in China help you build a house?"

"Or give you free food?"

"Or paint your house?"

Dianbo was forced to roll his eyes. "Yes, I suppose. Not everywhere of course but..." He trailed off. He had come here to forget China. Actually, he still had no idea what he was here.

"Mister, can you teach me to dance?"

"Dance?" Dianbo repeated, confused.

"Surya said you were dancing yesterday. And I wanted to know how you do it in China."

"Did he now?" The fox in question went slightly red, his ears flattening.

"Well he's a mute sir, so he didn't _say_ it." The young fennec let go of his glass paw and stepped back a little. "He showed us you were doing something like this." What followed was a particularly poor demonstration of what was meant to be Kung Fu. The little vixen twirled round and round, occasionally stretching her tiny foot forwards. By the time she was done she was dizzy, and Surya's face was as hot as his namesake.

"Something like that mister."

"Yes well, what I was really doing was _Kung Fu_." He said, frowning patronizingly at the red-faced kit.

What followed was a slurry of 'bless you's'.

"No. No, I meant Kung Fu. It's a- well I suppose you could call it a martial art, that is, a form of combat. But really it's more of a way of life." A brilliant idea popped into his head and it was like someone had lit a candle over him. Kung Fu, after all, was passed down from student to master. At last purpose had come to him. What better way to move on from Master Flying Rhino then to embrace his teachings! "If you want," He began, trying very hard not to let the excitement rushing through him show. It was difficult for canines like himself, what with the wagging tails and all. "And if your parents are okay with it... I might be able to teach it to you."

He had not really known what to expect- but a volley of 'yesses' and 'yes please' was what followed. Then there was nothing on earth that could stop his tail from wagging.

"Sir, your tail keeps whacking me."

"My apologies."

* * *

At last they had arrived at the school. "Now you all be good now, and when you get home we'll ask your parents about it."

"Alright mister."

"See you later sir."

"So you can't dance?"

Dianbo gave a contented sigh. Nothing, not even a pie to the face, could have wiped the dreamy look off his muzzle. Pies however, were not an Indian specialty. Dhoklas were, and the one Sanjay brought into his unsuspecting face was covered in yoghurt.

"There's your lunch." The jackal said, grinning widely.

Pulling the dhokla off his face, and wiping yoghurt off his face Dianbo frowned at him. He was about to say something when a crowd of screaming people rushed past and sent a volley of dust flying high into the sky. Both jackals coughed and batted away at the air.

"Before you ask- I didn't set off _any_ stink bombs."

By the time the smoke had cleared, they were no longer alone.

A porcupine was coughing and choking on top of a coughing and choking bear. When he had recovered, the small grey-furred mammal turned to the albino leopard besides him. "What did I say about hunting! This is why you don't-" _cough cough_ "-you don't leap out of the undergrowth screaming a battle cry and waving that spear of yours!"

The leopard's face was deadpanned. "With all due respect, Captain. You were the one who screamed a battle cry while your giant feral bear roared."

"It's true sir." Muttered an angry-looking black bear-feline-thing holding a giant war fan aloft.

"Shut up! Okay? Noone asked for any of your opinions! I'm in charge here, remember that!" His words would probably have carried no weight if he wasn't riding atop the head of a very large, growling bear.

"My lord!" Gasped a brown toad, suddenly, pointing at the gates of a school. "This is it! This is where we shall find our slaves! Quickly men, go inside and bring us the kiddies! Muahahahahaha!"

The band of raiders moved to obey, but the porcupine stopped them.

"And how exactly do you know that, eh Putana? Just because you're _named_ after a witch doesn't mean you have any real magic."

"I could tell, by the howling of the wind. The crowing of the crowing bird. The sudden shift in my lower intest-"

"There's a sign sir." Bei grunted.

Crotos Quillus frowned slightly at the sign. "Well what are you waiting for then? Go get rich. And remember." He fixed the Weeper with an intense glare which his bear matched with considerable more force. "I want them _alive_."

Dianbo had seen enough and wearing his almighty scowl, uncurled his whip.

At once all eyes were upon him.

"Can I kill _this_ one?" The Weeper asked, crouching low, his spear pointed at the jackal in front of him.

It unnerved Dianbo, a little, that his opponent's weapon seemed to be made of bone. Yet before porcupine, toad or jackal could say anything, Sanjay struck.

"BREAKFAST TIME!" The dhokla crashed into the feline's face without mercy, and for a while longer there was silence. Sanjay's battle cry seemed to echo across the empty village. Until both he and the porcupine were laughing their heads off, pointing at the humiliated hunter. "Finally! Someone appreciates my sense of humour. High five!" Sanjay moved over to give Crotos Quillus a high-paw, which the slaver seemed willing to return- when Dianbo wrenched him swiftly out of the way of the war fan's slice.

Dianbo promptly landed a swift, but efficient pair of roundhouse kicks to the black bear-feline-thing's face. Another slaver rushed forwards, drawing a sword as he went, but the other jackal kicked him. Inbetween the legs. Dishonorable or not Sanjay snickered.

A larger-than-average langur was the next to accept the jackal's challenge and approached slowly, cracking his enormous muscles as he did so. Dianbo was not intimidated by the great ape in the slightest. The monkey was halted in his tracks by a flurry of kicks to the stomach, while Sanjay stole the primates belt, all the better to show the world his heart-encrusted pants.

Another nameless grunt rushed forwards, bellowing a war cry, but was tripped up by the Weeper. The feline had cold fury (and bits of yoghurt) dripping from his face. "These two are mine." He snarled.

Bei grunted and spat out a tooth. Her fan opened with a flourish.

"Mine and Bei's."

The Weeper pounced. His spear shot forwards and would have skewered Sanjay- had the jackal not had a lifetime of experience avoiding getting hit by angry animals. Dianbo's whip curled around the albino's wrist, and with one simple motion the Weeper's face was brought into another devastating kick. Sanjay also smacked him.

Darting backwards, Dianbo used his leverage on the feline to bring him crashing down into Bei's feet. The black mammal fell, but swung her fan nonetheless; forcing Dianbo to hop over it or else loose his legs. Bei recovered quicker than expected and rolled forwards suddenly, still swinging her fan- which now just missed Dianbo's neck. The jackal backed away swiftly, and ducked under another deadly slice. Their epic duel was brought to a dramatic halt when Sanjay had the audacity to throw a water balloon at Bei.

There was a brief pause wherein everyone stared at Sanjay, who shrugged, and then the fighting continued. Ducking low Dianbo swept Bei's legs out from under her, and with the same momentum caught the Weeper mid-pounce with a kick to the stomach. Both seemed to brush off the blow and struck as one. Dianbo ducked under the bone spear, while simultaneously hopping over a sweep of the fan. His leg shot forwards and slammed into the Weeper's face. However, there was no avoiding Bei, who caught him by the back of his vest and hurled him forwards.

Dianbo landed hard on the dusty carpet and rolled a considerable distance away. Looking up he saw his opponent spreading her fan completely- and then it's size made sense. It was a giant disc... which flew at him now faster than he could dodge.

Luckily Sanjay came to his rescue, and kicked a cart inbetween his brother and the projectile. Dianbo rose to his feet, grateful for once of his sibling's company. Bei charged forwards, and Dianbo kicked the cart forwards. Instead of merely jumping over it the black mammal did a full flip, snatched her weapon by the handle, thus ripping it free of the wood and continued her menacing advance.

Dianbo's whip shot forwards and wrenched her arm down, forcing her to come to a standstill, or else loose her legs. Sanjay took this opportunity to insert a whopee cushion down her pants. He promptly kicked it and snickered childishly at the rude sound it made.

Dianbo, who was now breaking into a sweat, was ruthless in pointing out that, "Sanjay! This is no time for jokes!"

His half-brother answered with his usual grin. "It's _always_ time for a joke."

The Weeper's spear promptly embedded itself in the ground at his feet.

"You know what? Maybe you're rig-"

The leopard backhanded him away and pulled his spear free of the ground. Clicking his neck he whispered something to his comrade, who gave the tiniest of nods.

Pulling her arm forwards suddenly, Bei ripped Dianbo's whip free of his (admittedly weak) grip. The leopard pounced once more, swinging his spear wide so that the jackal had to suddenly step back. He promptly ducked as Bei's disc flew over his head. His opponent suddenly pulled something and the disc flew back at him. The canine sidestepped it as best he could, but received a long gash to the side of his face. The Weeper slashed forwards and Dianbo only just managed to suck his stomach in. Sanjay came to his aide, now wielding a brick- which he promptly brought down on the leopard's head.

"I was gonna throw a banana, but it looked like you were in trouble. So I figured a brick was better-"

"Duck!"

"Well ducks are living things so I couldn't just hit him with-"

Both jackals were promptly thrown into a house by the force of Bei's fist. And before either could rise to their feet, the whole building came down on them.

Bei frowned and crossed her arms. "Huh, that was... anticlimactic."

* * *

 _Footnote: Suspense really isn't what I'm going for here, so I don't feel bad saying Dianbo and Sanjay are fine. It's only chapter six, mutilations only happen from twelve to sixteen and after that everything is death, okay? Okay? (In case it's not obvious I'm trying to be funny here)  
_

 _I remember one thing in the original that I've changed I think for the better. Back in the first version of this fic all the slavers I think rode different feral animals ala Quillus. But I think it helps individualize them better if Quillus is the only one with one. Plus I like writing the dynamic of pint-sized loudmouths and their bodyguards.  
_

 _Another thing I've added is this little scuffle with Bei and the Weeper. This is mostly because, while the raid happened last time it was a bit less clear as to what was actually happening, which back then was deliberate but seems silly now, especially that Dianbo got taken out so quickly. So I decided to give Bei's fighting style a bit of a try. The Weeper didn't get to do much but I'm still trying to figure out a good fighting style for him. Dianbo as usual has his fancy footwork, and Sanjay's just there for the fun of it. More fights will come later on so in the interest of not making things repetitive this is a bit on the short side.  
_


	7. And Life Has A Heading

Surya did not remember how he'd ended up where he was. One second he'd been at school, getting ranted at by his teacher (a singularly unintelligent owl) for not answering roll call. His siblings had then been scolded for speaking out of turn (in an attempt to remind the idiotic avian that he was a mute) and the rest of the class for sniggering. Then something had burst from the door and made his teacher faint. He had gone dizzy and the next thing he knew was darkness.

An all-devouring darkness that weighed a tonne and seemed intent on squeezing the life out of him, _slowly_. It had happened before of course, ever since he'd had a particularly bad fever a few years ago. Any kind of horrible shock made him go dizzy. Sometimes the sensation lasted a few minutes- but twice it had lasted so long he was worried he'd never get out of whatever it was.

This was not one of those times. There was a sensation akin to being shoved out the door, and Surya awoke. He blinked blearily, before shaking himself into life. He was surprised to find that he was being stared at.

Crotos Quillus was in a very good mood. Despite the fact that Licky was behaving very strangely and had been uncharacteristically trying to shake him off, the raid had been successful and they had managed to catch one plump elephant, two little fox kits, a tiger cub and a boar. Elephants were always prized- if only because their size made them perfect for most menial tasks. Tigers were great bodyguards, known for their loyalty as well as the sheer toughness of their breed. Foxes and boars were not particularly impressive- but profitable nonetheless.

He rubbed his paws together in glee, and wearing a massive grin that would have been charming if not for the shape of his teeth, addressed them. "Greetings children! I am Captain Crotos Quillus, your new _owner_. Until I sell you of course." The porcupine raised his paw. "Now, now, there's no reason to cry. You will come to no harm under me, and there will be some rations to go around so you shouldn't go hungry. Sure you don't have any freedom, but freedom is overrated."

The children blinked. Some whimpered, others shivered and Surya curled in on himself.

The slave captain placed his paws on his hips, a small scowl growing across his face. "Now, what did I say about crying?"

"My Lord!" Crotos' face visibly fell. He did not have the time for this. "My Lord! As you can see my prophecies have bore us fruit! Now we must sacrifice something in a show of gratitude!" She pointed a webbed finger at the elephant. "Him! We must sacrifice him!"

The elephant- who was _female_ \- began to sob into her large ears.

"Don't cry! No, no! Don't cry!" Crotos snapped, pulling out a dirty piece of cloth. "Here, wipe that away." The porcupine turned and glared at his fellow slaver. "We are not sacrificing anyone!" He leaned close and whispered. "Do you have any idea how much elephants are _worth!?_ "

The toad drew herself up and hissed softly. "A sacrifice must be made. The boar."

"No!"

"Why throw good flesh at your Gods? I say we _eat_ the boar." This was the Weeper, recovering from a minor concussion. He was unstable at the best of times- the bitter headache did not help. Nor did the fact that Crotos Quillus had been making fun of him since he'd woken up. "He is rather fat, and I'm sure his flesh is succulent."

Now the boar began to sob.

"Give him the tissue!" The porcupine snapped, waving his paw wildly. Then, glaring fiercely up at the Weeper, his face contorted in rage he proceeded to shout. "That boar might as well be made out of solid gold! And we can't eat gold!"

"That runt won't make it to Ashtar! Look at him filthy, fat, ugly- barely any tusks. He isn't worth half a rupee."

Quillus turned to the quivering boar. "Don't listen to him kid, you're worth _exactly_ fifty-seven ruppees." He turned back to the Weeper, raised a finger and with a resolute stomp of his foot (in case his words needed added emphasis) said "No!"

The Weeper snarled. "Give me the fox then! I need some meat." The leopard levied his spear.

Surya froze in fear, and instinctively clutched at his little sister, as if she could possibly do anything to help him.

At that moment Licky chose to return to her master's side. The massive bear growled, and stood over him protectively.

"No!" Snapped Putana before Quillus could. Before the porcupine could raise his eyebrow the witch was squeezing at a young fennec's cheek. "This fox is magic- I can smell it, it is all around him. A kind of mist, an odour-"

Surya was pretty sure he didn't smell. He'd washed himself rather thoroughly the night before.

"If he is magic then it is better that we kill him. Step aside witch." The Weeper raised his spear, and found Quillus staring down at him from atop his bear's head. Licky stood on hind-paw, one of her arms raised to be brought down upon the feline.

"If he's magic he's worth double! Scratch that triple! No, no. More. I'LL BE RICH!"

"With all due respect." The leopard spat disrespectfully. "Magic foxes are deadlier than they seem." He pointed to his burns, his voice lowering to a hiss. "It was because of them that I bare these scars!"

"Or because you don't know how to cook." Quillus taunted, poking his tongue out mockingly. "You'll leave my foxes alone, or I'll give you some more scars to _bear_." He pointed down at Licky, who promptly bared her massive fangs.

The Weeper snarled, but backed down.

Satisfied, the slave Captain turned to his witch. "Tell me Putana, what is it you see?"

The toad brought Surya uncomfortably close, and stretched her long tongue across the fennec's face. The kit tried his best to squirm free of her slimy hands, but to no avail. The amphibian's eyes bore into his. Surya did his best to avoid hers, but he was otherwise unable to pull free. He ft himself going green and wanted to retch and wipe away at the saliva that clung to his fur. But he also felt faint- tired, dizzy.

In a voice brimming with theatrical force Purana spoke. "The magic fox will make you rich. Take him north. Then take him south. Take him with the others- his unwilling companions, take them all south, where flames rise high, high into the sacred heavens. Throw the fox in a cage and leave him to rot. Then the gold will come. The gold will come. Caves of gold, piles of gold. Gems, jewels and seas of coins. Muahahahahahahahaha!"

"Can I have the other fox then?" Snarled the Weeper.

Surya felt his insides drop as his sister began to whimper.

The porcupine hopped off his mount and drew closer to the captives. With a smile that was almost kind, Quillus patted the young vixen's head. "Don't cry. You have _no_ reason to. The Weeper isn't going to eat any of you- because if he does, he knows that my bear will eat _him."_ He snapped his fingers hard. "Get them some food. And Weeper- get lost."

The leopard snarled- but a snap of Licky's jaws made him think twice about protesting further.

"And Putana- get me a map. We're going North!"

* * *

Dianbo pulled himself out of the rubble. Somehow his glass paw was still intact, what was more miraculous was that his bones were also fully intact. It was a good thing the roof was made of reeds- and mud bricks were rather light and brittle. Sanjay too, emerged from the rubble, coughing and waving away at the cloud of dust. Both jackals shook themselves.

"I didn't do so bad, eh Kung Fu Master?"

Dianbo scowled. "This is no time for jokes. They were after the school, if we hurry we might still catch up." Picking up his whip Dianbo sprinted towards the school- ignoring the dilapidated gate that hung haphazardly from it's hinges.

"You know, I'd say that a little joke or two would be really useful to lighten the tension a bit."

As always Dianbo ignored him. The jackal found no trace of the raiders, but the signs of battle were hard to miss. There was no blood, but there were clawmarks and ripped up pieces of parchment, broken bottles of ink and discarded quills.

"Mister Diablo?"

The jackal spun on his heel and found one of the fennec kits poking out of a drawer. His tiny paws were shaking but relief was evident on his face.

"Are the raiders gone?"

The kit nodded, his lips quivering. "They, they took my sister and-" His face was so horribly contorted that the fox could not speak more.

Dianbo gently patted the kit's head. "It's alright. I've handled raiders before. If your sister's alive I'll bring her back in no time."

" _I-if_ she's alive!?"

That was the moment Dianbo knew he'd failed at comforting. "No-no that's not what I meant. I mean-"

Wailing broke out behind him and an owl clad in the garb of a professor was releasing tears by the gallon. The avian threw it's wings around Dianbo and pressed it's wet face against the frowning jackal.

If there was one thing Master Flying Rhino had not taught him it was how to deal with people- the rhino master had not been particularly good at that either. Gently prizing the owl free, Dianbo pushed the avian aside.

That was the moment Sanjay decided to show up, along with the rest of the school's shaken population.

* * *

Upma was filed with questions.

"Where are my other children?" Demanded the fox-family's mother.

"Why didn't you stop the brigands?"

"Why is there a giant stain on my trousers!?"

Luckily as the foreigner, Dianbo did not have to answer anything. That was Sanjay's job. This gave Dianbo the time he needed to gather his map and a small bag of supllies.

"If only we had a great warrior!" Wailed the owl professor who Dianbo would never learn the name of. "Someone to protect our people." Dianbo's ear gave an annoyed twitch, but the jackal ignored him.

"Hey, where you going?" This was from Tian Yi, who now raced to catch up to him.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to track down the raiders, bring them to justice and save the children."

"In that order?"

"The children are my priority. I've been doing this for a while now. Not long ago I had to fight off a squad of assassins."

"Did you win?" She asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Well, yes." Even if the target had ended up dying later on anyways. That wouldn't happen this time.

"Mind if I come with?"

The question took him by surprise, and before he could answer, Sanjay was next to him, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Well, their parents are taking it well and Aryan hates me a little more- but it's not like I stopped him from changing pants. So, we're going on a rescue mission now, right?"

Before Dianbo could open his mouth, Tian Yi spoke. "Well, me and Dianbo were just setting off now, but you can tag along if you want."

"Sweet!" The jackal quickly patted his pockets. "Alright, I'm set."

"Hey, Shade!" Tian Yi waved the black jackal over. "Wanna go on a rescue mission?"

He shrugged non-comitally but came over regardless.

"Maybe Aryan would like to come too?" Dianbo muttered through gritted teeth.

"Nah, he doesn't like Sanjay." Shade replied, having heard him.

Dianbo sighed softly and shook his head. There was no stopping his siblings. Besides, it was not his siblings he had to stop, it was the raiders.

If one good thing had come of the raid, it was his newfound purpose. He had a job to do. And he would do it. For the children and Master Flying Rhino's legacy.

* * *

 _Footnote I'm very proud of this chapter. There is a... surprising amount of foreshadowing here- or at least an unprecedented amount for_ me _. Some of you may know what's going on with Surya and Licky at the beginning but that'll be explained later on._

 _Funnily enough I foreshadow a lot- but never manage a good pay-off (though that is mostly because I never *get* to the payoff)._

 _Self-appreciation aside- why is the Weeper so flesh-hungry? For starters the Kucha (his former tribe) as a group are all semi flesh-hungry, the Weeper has a concussion and his scars were given to him by a boar-like creature (babirusa are a species of deer but I digress) though Bian Zao and Taotie helped (and they're both boars). Foxes? He hates foxes too :P_

 _Now I talk about my influences. Back when I wrote Village Champion in it's original form, I started reading some of the Redwall books. Or re-reading in some cases. And they were... A huge influence. Quillus', the incompetent slavemaster- based 50% on book vermin. You hate him, but at the same time don't *hate* him. He was also based a bit on Romans but I dropped the ball on that and decided to kick it away here (I have *other* romans now). The signatories should be apparent enough for those familiar with Redwall- and made even more clear when the bandits are brought into play._

 _Enjoy_


	8. Life Is A Robber

**A/N: Happy New Year! Thought I'd start 2019 with style- and there is nothing more stylish than another silly, random fight scene.  
**

* * *

Equipped with the sharp noses of their species and the eyesight necessary to see the rather obvious footprints of roughly thirty bandits, the four jackals had soon caught onto their nemesis' trail.

It was meant to be a stealthy rescue mission, Dianbo decided. He did not doubt that, depending on the surroundings, he could take down the raiders- Kung Fu Masters were known to fight worse. Even with his siblings' 'help' though, he was uncertain of victory. Shade likely knew how to use the blades that hung at his sides and Tian Yi carried herself with the confidence of a bigger mammal. Sanjay, no matter what Dianbo thought about his methods, could look after himself.

The issue was that this was a rescue mission which could very easily evolve into a hostage situation and those were not Dianbo's specialties. Raiders, he could deal with. Negotiations, not much. And from what he'd seen of his siblings, they couldn't either.

The four were currently tramping through thick woodland- a welcome change from the hot sun Dianbo had become used to walking under. They moved I total silence (save for Sanjay, who was lightly whistling). Suddenly, Shade signaled them to halt.

"What is it?" Asked Dianbo.

"I smell wolf." He replied curtly, frowning into the woods.

"You IDIOT!" Came a shrill scream- and two figures were sent hurtling from between the trees.

They were a pair of small mammals- one white, the other black- both clad in rags. Sables. The black one greatly resembled a hairy beach ball- not that any of them had much experience with beach balls. The white one was only marginally taller, but infinitely thinner and his fur was scruffier- which said a lot because both little creatures were filthy.

"What did I tell you about standing downwind?" This was from the one responsible for the hurling no doubt, a very large, burly wolf.

"Er-not to do it?" This was the black one, currently staring at his feet.

"Well, now our cover's blown so now we can't ambush these honest law-abiding citizens! What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Er sorry?"

Dianbo rolled his eyes, this country was honestly far too much for him to deal with. Ignoring the 'bandits' the quartet continued after their raiders.

"Hey! You leave him alone! It's your hide they caught wind of Greeneyes, so what do you have to say for yourself?" This was the white sable, coming to his brother's aide.

"This is your fault!" Said the black one, his eyes widening in shock, as if he had just discovered the culprit of a baffling homicide.

"Yeah it is! You tell him bro!"

The large wolf glared down at the two, much smaller mammals, but found nothing disputable in their hypothesis. So he pointed at the last of the bandits, a she-wolf with extremely long painted nails. "It must be her fault! Her perfume gave us away!"

The she-wolf kissed her teeth and gave the larger male a dirty look. "My perfume don't smell like wolf. It's vanilla. Remember that spice merchant?"

"You didn't let me eat that vanilla!" The black sable pouted.

"Whatever! Someone stood downwind and now my ingenious plan won't work." This was Green-eyes, who stomped the ground to underline his dissatisfaction.

"Which means we'll use my plan!" Cried the white sable, his face alive with glee.

"Your plan sucks!" Snapped the wolf. "And it won't work." He crossed his burly arms.

"But yours can't." Pointed out the fat sable.

"You tell him bro!" Encouraged the albino.

"Look guys, I'm sorry to break it to you but our quarry is getting away. So let's stop arguing and get us some jackal." This was the she-wolf, tapping her painted nails against each other.

Three bandits rushed forwards suddenly- the big wolf in the lead. Splintnose muttered mutinously and went over to unleash his villainous plan.

Dianbo went for his whip but Sanjay stopped him. "You won't need that." With a look of cold calculation that did not belong on his face the prankster tossed a random banana peel upon the ground.

Dianbo raised a skeptical eyebrow and watched as the big wolf vaulted over the banana and flew through the air towards them.

"That usually works." Muttered Sanjay, looking disappointed.

The wolf crashed into Shade, who looked utterly unimpressed at the display of fangs and claws.

Dianbo drew his whip with a flourish and was promptly thrown away when the white sable came flying in on the back of a log. Tian Yi turned slightly to make sure he was alright- and was promptly floored when the she-wolf pounced forwards.

This left the overweight dark-furred sable who came in sliding on his stomach- having tripped on a strategically placed banana peel- to Sanjay.

Dianbo did not have much difficulty recovering from the blow- he had even less difficulty planting his foot into the white sable's face. The smaller mammal stumbled backwards- but Dianbo did not let him recover. One foot caught him on his chinny-chin-chin, throwing the dazed bandit into the air. The jackal's whip caught him round the neck, and without missing a beat hurled him into a tree.

Splintnose gave a valiant effort at standing up, but ultimately collapsed to avoid further pain.

His opponent out of commission, Dianbo turned to find the she-wolf's claws uncomfortably close to his sister's neck.

He was a gentleman. He had been raised the right way. Politeness. Courtesy. Good manners… but noone touched his sister.

Before any harm could be dealt to Tian Yi, Dianbo's whip had latched around her assailant's neck. The she-wolf half-turned towards him. Eyes wide and filled with horror. The last thing she saw was the underside of his sandal rapidly closing the gap between them.

Tian Yi looked slightly flustered and her face morphed into a shallow frown. "I didn't need your help you know." She said matter-of-factedly. "Had the dog right where I wanted her."

Dianbo raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to present an alternative opinion, but was cut short by a very shrill, high-pitched sound. Which he soon learned was the fat sable's way of laughing.

Dianbo's face became a scowl of disapproval almost instantly. The bandit's sandals lay a few feet away, leaving the smaller mammal's feet unprotected from the cruel, lightning fast attacks of Twitchy and Sir-Laughs-A-Lot, directed by their commander, Sanjay.

"Don't give me that look." If he wasn't so busy tickling the poor sable, the prankster would have raised his paws in a gesture of innocence. "This was all done entirely in self-defence."

Dianbo decided quickly that entering into a conversation with Sanjay would not be productive use of his time- especially when time was of the essence.

"Every second you waste here is a second we can't use finding the kids. So stop enjoying yourself and get moving."

"Fiiiiine." Sanjay got up pretty quickly when he noticed the large form of Shade's opponent (now adorned with several bumps and bruises) came crashing down on his former position- squashing the fat sable flat.

Shade dusted his coat casually, his face still devoid of anything save and except for the same disinterest he always seemed to have.

The white sable and the she-wolf were tossed into the pile of groaning bandits and the quartet of jackals continued on their way.

Twenty minutes later Blacktooth spoke from the bottom of the pile in a very muffled voice. "I think I need new rags."

"What's wrong with the ones you've already got?" Asked Splintnose, dazed.

"I just need new ones okay!?" He then proceeded to mutter under his breath. "Good thing I wore black today…"

"This was your fault." Howled the bruised wolf to noone in particular. "I'm purple now!"

"You picked your own target idiot!" The white sable was clutching at his spinning head.

"Don't call me an idiot! Idiot!" Greeneyes (the burly wolf who's eyes were actually blue) kicked the smaller mammal a fair distance away. "Now we have to wait for other weaker law-abiding citizens to show up! This is not fair!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" A low-pitched scream filled the air and all turned to see Secrat (the she-wolf) staring at her claws. Nine were just as long and as colorful as usual. One though was torn at the base. "They broke my nail! I had it specifically painted!" She sniffed at it. "IT DOESN'T EVEN SMELL LIKE MANGO ANYMORE!"

"I want revenge." Declared Green-eyes, slamming his fist into a waiting palm.

"But we got our asses kicked." Protested Splintnose. "Wouldn't they just beat us up again?"

A cunning plan grew in the she-wolf's mind and her lips widened into a grin. "Do you smell that?"

Splintnose sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything. Except defeat and you stinking lot. And Blacktooth…bro... did you piss yourself?"

"NO! No I smell nothing! Definitely no sable piss over here."

"Mmm, freshly fried Pakora, with tomato chutney and is that the smell of a good carrot curry. The one my grandma used to make."

"Where? I can't smell it!" Greeneyes whined.

"Over there," she declared, pointing in the direction the jackals had headed off too. Spurred on by thoughts of food her dim-witted companions followed. Well Greeneyes and Blacktooth did, Splintnose looked mutinous, but all protests were irrelevant as his fellow criminals were all out of earshot.

With a sigh of resignation, Splintnose followed.

* * *

 _Footnote: Fair warning this middle section (or at least the Jackal siblings part in this) is going to get rather silly. But if you're taking this fic seriously (slavery and the Weeper included) you're reading it wrong..._

 _Greeneyes, Blacktooth, Splintnose and Secrat, hands up if you remember them? No?_

 _Well Greeneyes was killed by Shade in the original version (I don't even think he had a name). Their purpose has changed very little in the plot as a while- but I did make minor changes to their characterization. Secrat is Safi but less mean/sexist/rude, Greeneyes is a stupid Hercules that isn't very strong or in the morally superior position of protagonist and Splintnose and Blacktooth are as close as Sharpfur and Greyclaw will ever get to Kung Fu Panda._

 _Now that summary isn't necessarily the most precise since there are *some* differences between all characters and their 'parallels', but if you know them (some of you may be lost under all those names) you can see the similarities._

 _And that's everyone important introduced. It's not one of my fics if there isn't at least three groups of characters running around after each other!_

 _To be honest I expected Team Jackal Vs Random Bandits to be a bit longer- but ahem, these guys aren't exactly professional and our protagonist(s) far outclass them. The previous iteration had a longer fight, but I prefer this one to be honest._

 _So what do we have next time? More idiot villainy, more of Bei's background and another fight scene (though arguably less of a stomp-match._


	9. Life Is A Sacrifice

"Alright Licky, you hear that? We're gonna be fat and rich and bathing in gold by the time we get to Ashtar. Can I get a high-five?" The porcupine raised a paw, which the bear ignored. Licky promptly licked him. "Gah! That'll do, but next time I want a real high-five, you do that with your paws- not your tongue."

The annoyed mammal turned away from his bear and dived headlong into a supply bag. He emerged after a short period of foraging, a scroll in paws that would soon be covered claw to thumb in rings of every shape and size. Throwing the map open, he found the village marked 'Upma' and traced a short path away from it- to the rough location of his current camp. He furrowed his brow in concentration.

The usual path to Ashtar was to head directly Southwest, past a narrow river and around the Forests of Yarikan that marked the border between India and whatever the Western Lands were called- Quillus wasn't exactly an educated animal.

But- he had to go North before heading South, or else his magic fox wouldn't make him rich. Which was unfair, but it didn't matter, it wasn't like he was being pursued or anything. Whichever ruler was in charge of the land didn't care much for outlying villages situated in the middle of nowhere.

Still the path would be treacherous- he would have to go directly through the expanse of Forest that was called Yarikan. He had beard much of it, in Ashtar's pits, on the streets and even in cages. Yarikan was a wild place- a place the Gods had left untouched. The wildlife there was more savage than Licky, and hungrier for flesh than the Weeper. Hundreds had been lost, having strayed too far from the river. Hundreds more had been lost to the river itself. Raging waters. Stones sharper than the spines on his back. Fish that lived on flesh. Worms that could grow to the size of castles, named after death itself... In some languages Quillus had never learned anyways. Blood-sucking beetle swarms that turned living, breathing things into pale corpses in a matter of seconds.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea, what do you think Licky?"

The bear growled.

Quillus patted her nose. "You're right, I don't like the look of that place. Let's just go arouuuuund…" He trailed off, noticing that the forests went further North then his map showed.

"Well…" He paused for thought. If he went this way he'd almost certainly be risking life and limb, not only his own but his entire band of slavers too. The only family he ever had… "Screw them! Alright, it's sorted. Licky we're going through the forest. And remember, if worst comes to worst save me and my slaves and run like the wind. Can you do that?"

By way of reply the bear licked him.

"This is why you're my only friend."

* * *

"So… we're going to be slaves…" Surya knew his sister was an optimist. But not even she could make that sentence sound any better than it was.

"No we're not." Jamal whimpered. The boar was staring intently at the Weeper, who's back was turned away from them and was presently eating a samosa with unnecessary savagery. "Or you guys might. But I won't. That leopard wants to _eat_ me!"

"Nah, the porcupine's not gonna let him." The tiger, who's name was Ravi, assured him. "You know, he's kinda cool."

Everyone gave him their most incredulous faces, forcing the feline to backtrack.

"I mean, not cool at all, but the way he just stood on his bear and was like…" He trailed off and munched on his 'ration' (a thin samosa with practically no filling).

"So Surya, apparently you're magical." His sister gave him the most wondrous look.

The fennec fox rolled his eyes and used his muzzle to point at the toad, before poking his tongue out with a resolution that made the rest laugh.

"Yeah. I wish Professor Pampada was magical. Maybe then he'd teach us something." This was the elephant, named after the river Ganga.

"Ha! I wish _I_ was magical. Then I'd beat up all these brigands and go home!" Declared Ravi.

"You don't need magic to do that. Just a little bit of Kung Fu." Chirruped the vixen.

"Bless you."

"No! Kung Fu! It's like a fighting style. With lots of kicking and stuff."

"If I had magic… I'd make myself inedible!"

"Come off it Jamal, everyone knows you don't taste good."

"No! You don't know that because you don't eat people! I bet I'm succulent." The boar eyed his somewhat chubby belly with nothing but regret. If only his grandmother didn't run the sweet shop...

Surya watched as Jamal's face fell further and further as he stared at his classmates' distinct lack of stomach padding. Being a mute and tied up, there was not much reassuring he could do beyond trying and failing to make himself look fatter.

"Don't worry Jamal. We won't let them eat you." Ganga reassured him, before changing the topic. Her trunk pointed at Bei's back she declared. "That one's wearing dye."

"How do you know that?" This was Padma, Surya's little sister.

"I'm allergic to it." The elephant replied, curling up her elongated nose.

Further conversation was interrupted by Quillus' small form swaggering out of his tent, his paw held aloft. "Alright. We have our heading. Break camp and head due North until we find a river- then head West. We're going to go through a bit of woodland. You may have heard of it, Forests of Yarikan-"

There was an uproar- or rather Putana screamed at the top of her lungs. The toad raced forwards and fell before Quillus. She stretched her arms towards his feet, but he stepped out of range. "No! No, my Lord you must not do this! You will surely perish. You must head further North- take the magic fox there, where all the eye can see is salt. Take him North and take him South and-"

Quillus kicked her hard in the face. "You never said anything about salt the first time. And I've already mapped a course, so quit complaining. Alright, pack it up!"

"A sacrifice!" The amphibian beseeched. "At least make a sacrifice before you leave, to ensure safe passage through the jungle."

"We are not sacrificing my slaves!"

"I never said anything about your slaves. Give me… Bei."

"Nope. Not a chance. Say that again and I'll feed you to her." He jabbed a round thumb at Licky.

The bear growled menacingly behind him. Quillus patted her nose. "You don't have to eat her- indigestion and all that- I _get_ it! Just bite her head off if she says anything stupid."

Highly offended, Putana drew herself up to her full height- she was about half-an-inch taller than him- quills and all. It made her feel powerful. Thrusting a skinny finger into his nose she declared in a voice that shook with dramatic tension. "I hereby curse you Crotos Quillus! You will suffer a fate worse than death for many years! Sleep shall never come to you if you do not heed my grave warning!"

Quillus shoved her aside. "I don't get any sleep with you bursting into my tent every morning, anyways. If you want to sacrifice something go catch your own slaves. But me and my stuff are not for you to play with. Now, is everybody ready?"

"You're right my Lord. I shall take this matter upon my own shoulders. Never fear, a sacrifice shall be made!"

And with that the toad raced off.

"Huh... This is my lucky day Licky. Five slaves, destiny smiling on me and Putana's leaving?" With the goofiest grin to ever grace the slaver's face, Crotos Quillus fell back onto his bear's waiting paws, his head filled with thoughts of gold, silver and more gems then he could count.

* * *

It did not take Putana long to reach her humble abode- a fifty foot fortress made out of old interlocking banyan trees painted in a rainbow of colours. She burst through the gem-encrusted doors with a wide grin on her face. Her slaves, not expecting her sudden arrival, leapt quickly to their shaking feet.

They were all toads- not because she wanted to boss around members of her own species in order to prove her mystic superiority- but because she was the best and toads were the best species, and the best deserved only the best.

Which was why she was sacrificing the worst. She pointed a finger that was kept deliberately thin, at a squat little toad who had the misfortune of being the last to rise. "I have seen a viiiiiiiiisiiiiiiion!" She declared pointing upwards to where the Gods were no doubt looking down at her. "I see it more clearly now! I will be Empress of the Civilized World, all I must do is sacrifice this one!"

"No! No please! I ironed your favourite rag- shawls and I-" The unfortunate amphibian was seized by his former fellows, some of whom had the decency to look apologetic as they beat him to the ground.

"His tongue shall be ripped from his mouth and hurled into the flames. Then his liver. Followed by the kidney!"

"Not my kidney!"

"And then he must be consumed by the flames and-" She drew her breath and gave a great, billowing bow. "By the Gods!"

"Please!"

"Gag him!"

The helpless toad was tied down to a small altar, and a huge fire was lit around him.

Putana shrieked at the top of her lungs, and seizing numerous powdered spices, hurling them at the flames to create a stunning illusion of magic and power. She danced round the flames, chanting in high-pitched gibberish that was incomprehensible to all present (herself included). But Putana knew better than other mortals. She knew that she was speaking in the immortal tongue, the language of gods which did not belong amongst ordinary folk.

"This isn't in the Vedas!" Shrieked the slave as the multi-coloured flames drew ever closer.

Putana laughed now. "I am the Veda! For Veda means knowledge and all knowledge rests…." She drew in a deep breath, before releasing the pent-up pressure within her lungs. "IN ME! Now, fetch me my knife collection!"

Her slaves did her bidding, every single one of them rushed forth and from numerous locations of the main hall, pulled out blades of every shape and size.

Putana drew a wide purple line along the left side of her face, before choosing a particularly vicious-looking cleaver.

"You're crazy!" The slave screamed from around his gag.

"Those who work for the Gods are often called mad by lesser men! But I know that I am not mad- I am-" She raised the cleaver high into the air, imagining distant echoes of her prayers and the mighty beating of drums all around her- when in reality she was surrounded by terrified toads cowering at the fate of their former partner, while also being thankful they weren't the one being sacrificed.

"I AM-"

Whatever she was, she was interrupted by a loud rapping at her door.

* * *

 _Footnote: Honestly this is more of a set-up chapter than anything else But I did warn you things would get a bit silly/crazy. Feels a bit like I'm writing Hercules now. Still, I'd say it's an improvement (I mean the original was a little silly too, but here it's cranked up to eleven)._

 _Just for reference- Padma and Surya are fennec foxes, Jamal is a boar, Ravi is a tiger and Ganga is an elephant. I mean, they're mostly going to be side-characters but honestly for a story like this there are… probably too many side-characters._

 _A bit late for regrets now (not that I regret it or anything…)_

 _The next chapter is going to be entirely a fight scene because I may have gotten a *little* carried away with it…_


	10. Life Is A Knife-Wielding Toad

"Maybe it's just because I'm new to this country… but we all see the giant multi-coloured fortress, right?" Dianbo pointed ahead, where a giant fortress stood erect. From within came muffled screeching.

"Yeah." Replied Sanjay. "I'd graffiti the walls but someone's clearly beaten me to it."

"And we all hear the screaming right?" Tian Yi seemed desperate for confirmation.

"And we all notice that there are tracks matching the ones we've been following that leads directly into… whatever that is?" Asked Shade, emotionlessly.

Dianbo drew his whip and took running start. He flew at the doors with one of his signature fly-kicks… it hurt his toes pretty bad.

For a while he stood hopping on one paw, unwilling to even hiss, lest it give away his location. Naturally his face was as red as a tomatoe by the time the others caught up to him.

"Not sure how things are done in China, but here it's polite to knock." Shade informed him, before raising a paw to do so himself.

"Wait! You can't take this opportunity away from me- it's something I've always wanted to try!"

"Sanjay, this isn't the time for one of your pranks." Tian Yi reminded sternly.

* * *

Putana hissed. "We shall recommence the ceremony upon my return." She turned to her sacrifice. "The Gods have given you a few more minutes to live. Use it to pray they accept you and devour your essence whole- rather than piece by piece." Her face still painted, her fingers still clutching the massive knife, the prophet made her way to the door. She nudged it open slightly and poked an annoyed head out to see who was making that infuriating noise!

To her surprise it was a food delivery guy… who looked strangely familiar.

"I have an order for Giant Rainbow Banyan Palace. Sixty-seven papadums with a side of yellow eggplant."

She frowned at the jackal, who was for some reason, grinning. Then she turned around to her slaves. "WHO ORDERED TAKE-OUT!? DO I LOOK UNDER-FED TO YOU? WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO-" Somehow someone's rumbling stomach could be heard over the din. Putana glared at the unfortunate toad. "Alright, we're sacrificing him instead. Tie him to the altar, let the other one go." She whirled back round to face the grinning jackal, opened her mouth and promptly recieved a faceful of cream-coated dhokla. How Sanjay had fitted the entire dish into one of his many pockets was a mystery that would remain forever unsolved.

Dianbo facepalmed, and stood up from the bushes- taking Sanjay's extremely loud laughter as the signal that things were about to get serious... Gods this country made no sense.

"Haven't you done that before?" He asked dryly.

"Yeah, but not as a delivery guy. Makes it so much funnier you know." He said this as if it was common knowledge.

By now Putana had wiped away the dhokla, and was glaring furiously at the pair. She whirled round to face her toads, some of whom snickered at the sight of her. "On third thought-we shall sacrifice the desert dogs! I hear the Gods find them worthy of dessert!"

"Doesn't dessert come after a meal?" Asked the toad currently being tied to the altar.

"Desert. Dogs. Dessert. It's Sibilance you imbec-"

Dianbo booted- or rather, sandaled her away. Things were so much simpler his way.

The toad landed on her feet… and her face- but also her feet. Rising angrily she waved the sacrificial knife above her head.

"Such blatant disrespect to a messenger of the Gods in a holy Temple of the Gods-

"But there's no deity." Shade pointed out.

The toad looked at him quizzically. "There are three of you?"

The black jackal ignored her. "Generally temples have a deity."

"Not your Gods!" Snapped the toad priestess. "My ones! The real ones! The-"

"We don't have time for this I'm afraid." Dianbo interrupted her. "Where are the kids?"

"My Gods do not produce offspring-"

"He means the kids you stole." Sanjay said helpfully. "Stinkballs they may be, you didn't pay for them." The prankster's face shifted into the greatest scowl he could muster. It wasn't bad but he was a bit out of practice. He was better at other things.

"They weren't for sale." Dianbo, however was only good at two things. And one of them _was_ scowling.

"You're such a buzzkill man! I was trying to do my best angry shopkeeper impression." Sanjay sighed, then went back to grinning. "Now give them back and there won't be any problems."

"Except the justice system." Added Shade. "Kidnapping is still a crime."

It took Putana a few moments to figure out what was being said. The kick, and the dhokla had slightly disoriented her. When she did eventually put two and two together though, she laughed. "Hahahahaha! You will never see them again! They will go to Ashtar together, and when they get there they'll be blown about like leaves on a breeze. And I will be rich!"

"Ashtar, eh?" Dianbo made a mental note on that name for later.

"Care to show us the way?" Came Shade's cool voice as casually, a pair of blades were removed from their sheaths.

"To do so would be to betray my Gods…" Suddenly she raised her cleaver high into the air. "Sacrifice them!" She screeched.

Many of her slaves were hesitant and gave each other unconvincing nods of encouragement.

"Sacrifice them or _be_ sacrificed!" The toad screeched again- this brought about the desired result.

Armed with her entire collection of knives- sharp and blunt alike- the armada of slaves rushed forwards suddenly.

Only to step back when Sanjay unveiled his super-weapon... Which he promptly dropped. "Okay guys… just avoid the pile of itching powder."

"Sanjay… just…" Dianbo sighed, and dodged a particularly wild swing while doing so.

Shade effortlessly disarmed a pair of assailants, before swinging a blade at one's neck. Both Dianbo and Sanjay wrenched the amphibian out of range.

"Are you insane!?" They cried in unison. "That could have killed him."

Suddenly everyone seemed to stop fighting.

"Isn't… that… what we're trying to do?" Asked one toad.

"I am aware of that, yes. I aimed for his throat. It would have been a very quick and very clean death."

It unnerved Dianbo how far Shade could take his emotionlessness- even the act of killing provoked no reaction.

The toads seemed to step back all at once- visibly terrified.

"Well… can you knock them out instead?" Sanjay asked, also a bit freaked out. Good thing he'd never tried to pull a prank on that particular sibling…

Shade took… an unnaturally long time making that decision. In the end he gave the smallest of shrugs and stabbed his blades into the ground. Clearly he would have no more use of them.

Putana entered the fray, charging the black jackal with... Avengeance? And battle recommenced. The toads seemed more hesitant to go for Shade now- which meant Dianbo and Sanjay had far more opponents to deal with... Not like that was a problem or anything.

Sanjay demonstrated speed and agility (and bucketloads of good luck seeing as every projectile launched at him seemed to miss by a mile or get caught by a whip or black-furredpaw). Shade demonstrated complete absence from the battlefield. Many times Dianbo was sure his brother had been stabbed in the leg or arm or torso… but the jackal fought as if unharmed- so much so that all present were convinced that he was so. And Dianbo was just footwork. Roundhouse kicks, fly-kicks, violent kicks, gentle kicks, gentle-violent kicks. A lot of kicks.

Effective though they were at handling their opponents, they were all a bit less used to fighting alongside anyone. Or fighting in general, in Sanjay's case.

The aforementioned jackal slammed a jar of ink into a toad's face from point-blank. Seemingly from out of thin air, he whipped out a paint brush, and before the toad could recover he was the rather-less-than-proud owner of a pair of fierce mustachios. One toad, however, managed to close the gap. Vaulting upwards with a great bound of his long feet the amphibian slashed forwards.

Dianbo gasped as a wet stainless spread across the other jackal's vest. Then he frowned when he noticed that his brother was alright.

"My... My water balloon collection…" It was Sanjay's turn to slash and he did so, blinding the toad by covering it's eyes in ink. The paintbrush went back into his pockets and out came a banana peel, which he haphazardly tossed aside. The prankster's next weapon of choice… was the whoppee cushion- which he used to smack one toad across the face with. All paused in battle, expect Putana, who was currently trying and failing to choke Shade from behind, to stare at the ghastly place from which the unorthodox sound had ruptured forth. Sanjay pointed at the toad. "For the record, he did it." To add literal insult to… injury… Sanjay pinched his nose shut. "Peee-ew man, did you have beans for breakfast or something?"

Dianbo had to combat the urge to facepalm, he also had to combat the amphian that promptly pounced on him. Spinning round, he used his opponent's momentum (and inability to get a grip on his fur) against him, which launched him into another toad. The whip came down onto the webbed hand of someone reaching for a knife, and was followed by Dianbo's foot. A squat little toad; who had earlier today narrowly avoided becoming a sacrifice; shot forwards. It reminded him very much of one afternoon's training he'd had with Master Flying Rhino, one of his first ones.

* * *

 _"Today we're going to work on your speed. Since fists aren't an option for you, you're gonna have to learn to keep your distance in a fight. But you never know when something might just launch at you!" As he said this the rhino suddenly hurled a small round ball at his pupil. Dianbo was taken by surprise, and caught it… with his stomach. He landed on his rump, winded._

 _"I… wasn't… ready."_

 _"Which is exactly why I threw it at you. Your opponents aren't always going to wait for a fancy battle stance. They wanna kill you!" Another ball came right at him, and caught the unprepared jackal- still recovering from the first blow- on the face. Dianbo lay on his back, dazed._

 _"Alright kid… maybe we should slow down a bit. Or I could hit less hard… yeah, that could work too. Hey kid, you still with me? Hello? Diiiianbo? Don't scare me now, I don't wanna call your mother."_

* * *

This time he was ready, and the unfortunate toad was sent flying out the door.

Shade was doing well, even without his blades. A kick here, sucker-punch there. And all the while his face had yet to change even ever-so-slightly. Putana had him in a very weak chokehold, from which he could still, very easily, breathe. But her constant grunting was bothersome, especially when in such close proximity to his ears. Backing away slightly, he made his way over to a wall and proceeded to repeatedly crash into it. After the third impact the faux priestess fell to the ground- very unconscious.

He stepped forwards, and was knocked off his feet by a single toad whom Dianbo had kicked, who had then landed on a banana peel, who had then crashed into Shade's leg.

The black jackal was subsequently doggy-piled by about five toads. With some difficulty Shade pushed himself off the ground, and repeated the technique he'd used against the Prophet. It was very effective.

With Shade very effectively handling his share of combatants, it was up to Dianbo to make sure that no knives found themselves sticking out of Sanjay's back. It wasn't hard catching them with his whip and subsequently pinning opponents to the floor with them. But doing so while he had his own opponents to handle was more difficult.

One blade- shaped like a leaf, very nearly hit Sanjay- but was caught in the last second. Not by Dianbo's whip, but by the long fleshy tongue of an angry-looking toad, who then, with a twist, shot it at Dianbo. The jackal managed to deflect it with his glass paw, but in doing so was unable to kick away this toad. He met the ground hard, his whip landed out of reach and the toad was pressing a knife to his throat… a butter knife… which was blunt.

Dianbo took this opportunity to flip the amphibian over, and so they wrestled. The pair rolled along the ground until they came to a halt next to an abandoned pile of itching powder. Dianbo dug the claws of his good paw deep into the floorboards as he tried to keep his face out of reach of it. He had fur- things would be much worse for him if he had to constantly scratch at himself.

The toad knew this too, which was why it was taking the risk of coming there in the first place.

Suddenly Sanjay came crashing down from above- landing hard on Dianbo's back. But the slave had it worse, for in loosing balance over the sudden entrance of another jackal, he had firmly planted his buttocks into the itching powder. Despite the pair of pants he wore, he was soon screaming and rubbing at his backside.

"What do they put in that?" Dianbo asked incredulously.

"Oh just the standard stuff, dust, dried cobwebs, things that get your nose all sneezy, mainly rosehip I think. Though this particular brand likes to add chillies for extra spice."

"That… explains the screaming."

"Yeah."

Soon though, the screaming was muffled. Shade tossed the fallen toads in a pile, directly over the itching powder. It would be a nightmare when they woke up… but for now they lay there peacefully, long tongues dangling out in defeat.

Sanjay helped Dianbo to his feet, and even handed him his whip.

"Where's Tian Yi?" Asked Shade, noticing for the first time that their sister was not present, nor was she in the pile of unconscious toads.

Sanjay did a little spin to look around himself. "Well she's not here…"

"I was just getting this!" The she-jackal appeared suddenly from behind a cupboard, holding a map.

"What was it doing behind a cupboard?"

"Now's not the time Sanjay! Look." She unfurled it impatiently and pointed out the various points. "Aaand… Ashtar's not on it. Okay nevermind, forget it. Let's just keep tracking."

She barged past her befuddled brothers and lead the way, following the clear as day, bear tracks ahead of them. Her half-siblings were quick to follow, and the quartet continued onwards, leaving the chaos behind them… for the time being anyways.

* * *

 _Footnote: There we go, another crazy fight scene, a staple of this fic, really. And was it just a joy to write. You may have noticed a minor trend with Tian Yi and combat..._

 _To be honest I feel like she got the short straw when it came to the jackal siblings. Shade and Sanjay have both got very... Larger than life personalities. Not that you don't find people like them in the world, it's just they're much... Much rarer). Dianbo is the protagonist (and my OC so... Subconscious bias) and Tian Yi is... The sister? Yay? So I'm working on developing her a little more this time around. Funnily enough her development is also something I've borrowed from Redwall (and this would count as a spoiler but I don't think you'd know who I was talking about anyways) or was inspired by. It's not the same situation or effect but... It's there._

 _Also fun fact, itching powder is primarily made of rosehips (or maple something), but I figured that dust and cobwebs wouldn't be so bad for animals (considering that's what actually makes them itch... And fleas, but boxed up fleas doesn't feel like Sanjay). And chillies are needed for that one gag. And it's India, so everything's spicy._

 _The flashback with Flying Rhino was fun- it's my opinion that he's not good with children. And a bit of an airhead. And for some reason I read him as Samuel L Jackson... Weeeeird._


	11. Life Is Crossing A Deadly River

The woodland known as Yarikan was a vast jungle. Palm trees towered above the band of slavers. From them hung coconuts as large as boulders and mangoes as red and ripe as a setting sun. Vast green leaves repelled the light of the sun, and shrouded the forest's insides in darkness. Vines dangled from trees like hanging snakes, and a cacophony of calls could be heard from within. Tigers roaring, birds fluttering and squaking- and Jamal screaming.

"You're taking us in there!?" The children were tied to a long, wide poll, which was being carried by Bei and a nameless slaver. Whatever species she was, she ignored the young boar.

It wasn't hard for Surya to understand his classmate's plight. The jungle was black as night, and even some of the slavers seemed hesitant to enter into the unknown.

"B-but you can't!" The boar continued to protest. "That place's haunted and there are ghosts an-and-"

"Shut up Jamal!" Snapped Ravi. "You'll get everyone to hear you."

"There's far worse than ghosts in there." Said the Weeper, wearing a massive grin that made the scarred side of his face that much more terrifying. "The Forests of Yarikan… an expanse of jungle left untouched by the Gods. You won't find ghosts in there- just more creatures like that bear. And they won't let you ride them." He leaned in close to the children- who tried their best to pull away. "Everything in there hungers for flesh. Everything there is simple-minded. Everything there exists to hunt or be hunted." He pulled back and pointed at the trees. By now the other slavers were listening in with rapt attention. "Even the trees are hunters. Some eat flesh, others the mind. Spend too much time among them and you'll end up no better then your prey."

The band shivered as one, and the Weeper- who liked the attention- continued. "Life is a simple rule. We in the Kucha knew it and obeyed it. Everything exists to be devoured. We do not pretend, like you, that we are civilized. We are as we were meant to be. Predators and prey at once. " He jabbed a claw forwards. "In there that is all, all of us are. We are bags of flesh and blood and bone and muscle- powered by instincts and strength of mind alone."

"So do you or do you not believe in reincarnation?"

For a second the Weeper had to pause, the young elephant's question had taken him by surprise.

Bei used this opportunity to dispell the aura of fear amidst her fellow slavers. "We're not going through there anyways. We go around it- like always."

Jamal breathed an incredible sigh of relief, and Surya wiped at his forehead with his bushy tail.

"Actually." Came Quillus' voice. "We're going right through this really narrow bit here." He was holding a map that showed an incredibly narrow part of the jungle. "Much quicker you know. Plus who doesn't like a pleasant walk through the jungle, am I right?" He pointed at the trees behind him- ignoring the random and ominous lightning bolt that flashed behind him.

Many slavers began muttering mutinously.

"What if we get lost?" Demanded Bei, her arms crossed and her brow furrowed.

"We won't get lost coz there's this nice little stream we can follow, see?" He pointed at a raging river a few feet to their left, one filled with hundreds of sharp, jagged rocks.

"How about no?" Snapped Bei. "You're going to risk our lives for a slightly quicker journey? No thanks, we're going the usual way."

"Bei! You're being ridiculous! We just need to be slightly North of Ashtar so that I can get rich!" He jabbed a fat finger at another line on the map.

"Because Putana said so?"

Quillus growled, it was quickly drowned out by the roar of his mighty stead, who once more stood up, ready to deliver a mighty blow to any who should try and strike her beloved pet.

"Because _I_ say so! Now if you're scared I'll just take my slaves and go my way. And when I get to Ashtar none of you are getting so much as a mango!"

"They're our slaves too!" Snapped one slaver.

"Yeah, we helped you raid fatty!" Shouted another.

"Who's the fat one, eh? Come a little closer and say that to my face! I dare you!" Quillus glared at his group. As usual it was Licky's gleaming fangs that actually got the point across.

"I think Quillus is right." To everyone's, and especially Quillus' surprise, the Weeper stood next to him and leaned casually against his bone spear. "Even half a day's march is worth the risk. I was born and bred in jungles like that. There is safety in numbers and as long as we stay together none can make us prey. But we should cross the river here, that way we can loose our scent. A desperate hunter may just decide that we're worth the risk." He eyed the children, all of whom were frozen in fear at the sight of him licking his chops. "Especially when we carry such-"

Licky gave the leopard a light smack. "Alright, you hear that guys? Safety in numbers so stick together. Cross the river now or you'll get every hungry thing for miles around chasing your tail." Quillus lead by example. Or rather Licky did. The bear took the porcupine in her jaws- being mindful of his spines and safety- and effortlessly waded through the river. Once on the opposite bank she shook herself dry and delicately placed the dripping wet Quillus on her back.

The porcupine was used to his partner's taking the lead at some points, and standing up, began to tap his foot against his mount's back. "Come on. We haven't got all day!"

The Weeper was next and made the crossing look just as easy. Back on his homeland be had waded through far worse rivers.

The next slaver was not as skilled as the leopard, as tough as the bear or as lucky as Quillus. He'd stepped on a sharp rock, lost balance and was promptly swept away. His screaming, thrashing form seemed to bounce from jutting rock to jutting rock with horrible sounds of cracking and snapping. By the time his form had vanished most slavers had lost their confidence and the waters downstream had turned slightly pink.

Bei however, was not so unnerved. She grabbed Surya by the scruff, ignoring the fox's desperate squirming and the protests of his peers, shoved him under the water for a minute or two, before she spun round once and launched him at the opposite bank. Licky caught the fox in her jaws, and gently placed the dizzy, dazed and panting kit upon the ground. Bei and the bear proceeded with this technique until all the children had been hurled across the river- where they lay in a groaning pile upon the ground. The black mammal was the next to cross, but she did so by hopping from jagged rock to jagged rock with the speed and grace worthy of a feline. She hadn't gotten herself even slightly wet.

She may have been against the idea to begin with, but she sure as hell was not getting left behind.

The three watched as the rest of the slavers made the crossing one by one. There were no more losses until the last one- a type of goat none present knew the name of, had the misfortune of trying to copy Bei. She had gotten about halfway across the water when her hoof had slipped on the wet rock and with a scream she'd fallen inside. Her head had hit a rock and Quillus- or rather Licky- had covered the children's eyes so they did not have to watch. Somehow, despite the missing blood, the goat was still alive. A shoal of fish seemed to pounce out of the water, and pulled the screaming slaver down under. The water went red and a few moments later a pale white skull was bobbing along downstream.

Crotos Quillus was not a brave mammal and swallowed audibly. "Maybe… maybe we should go the usual way. Yeah, okay, I've changed my mind. We're going the normal way- everyone back across!"

He edged closer to the river, but lost courage upon seeing all the grinning fishes that waited under the clear water- all seemed to lick their lips at the sight of his pudgy form. He swallowed again.

"So we lost two slavers." He shrugged. "Who the hell cares? None of us were friends with them anyways."

The slavers nodded begrudgingly. None of them liked each other and that wasn't exactly a secret.

"And besides." He said, climbing onto Licky's waiting head. "More money for us right?"

At this the remaining raiders and brigands grinned, and with the Weeper in the lead, they advanced into the dark jungle that was the Forest of Yarikan.

"I wanna go home now." Padma said, very quietly, as the darkness of the jungle descended around them.

Surya frowned and awkwardly patted her tail with his own. It was the most encouragement a mute could give at that point.

* * *

"Can we take a break?" Blacktooth whined, his companions already a few well-placed paces ahead of him. "We've been running since morning. And grandma says if I run too much I'll burn fat. And I don't wanna burn!"

"Secrat," said Splintnose running besides the she-wolf. "He can't keep it up much longer. We should take a break. Rest up a bit, the food won't move."

Secrat would have objected, but crashed into a tree, this of course ground her to a halt. The other bandits took this as the signal for 'stop'.

Blacktooth practically dropped on his face, his chest heaving from exhaustion as he breathed in lungfuls of air, tongue sagging on his open jaws. Splintnose sat down heavily besides him, stretching his aching limbs. Being smaller the marathon had been considerably harder for the pair of sables. After all, wolves were built for endurance- well, every wolf that wasn't Green-eyes.

"How-" _pant-_ "much-" _pant-_ "further?" He collapsed on top of both sables- having not noticed them. Although the pair proceeded to try their hardest to shove him off they weren't particularly strong. And Green-eyes was too tired to budge.

Secrat pulled herself out of the tree and glared viciously at her companions. "If you three idiots could do half of what I do we'd already be rich! But nooooo, you're all small and helpless. Get up you lazy dogs or I won't get my revenge!"

"It was half a nail." Splintnose complained, squeezing his head out from under his leader's torso. "Noone notices them anyways."

Secrat's face looked red enough to be an inferno. She opened her mouth to release, not only her fangs- with which she could bite the offending sable's head off- but also the power of one hundred thousand verses on how spectacular that specific nail had been.

She never got the chance however, as a very ugly toad- at present trying to rip her own face off appeared. Her face seemed to light up at the sight of them all. Much more desirable than any of her own ugly toads! Even if toads were still by far the best species.

"I have found a sacrifice!" She pointed a shaking webbed finger at the bandits. "Get them!"

There came a great groan, and no less than thirty toads emerged from a rainbow-coloured Banyan tree fort the bandit quartet had somehow missed. All were itching themselves. Backs, arms, faces, and in the case of one- ass cheeks.

"Sacrifice them!" Snapped the toad priestess, growing impatient.

Another groan came and very slowly the toads lumbered forwards.

"Sacrifice them or _be_ sacrificed!"

Now the toads seemed filled with energy, and drew blades from out of thin air. Then they charged the bandit quartet, who screamed very, very loudly.

But luck was on the side of the wolf and sable pack, for their combined screaming had dislodged a coconut from a nearby tree. It came down heavily on the ass-scratching toad, who for some reason wielded a butter knife.

The brief pause in which all the toads stopped and stared at their fallen comrade was enough time for the foolish foursome to make like cheetahs and sprint away- before coming to a halt, panting and clutching stitches ten feet away.

"Wait!" Snapped the Prophet, before her slaves could give chase. "You four fetch me my palanquin! A messenger of the Gods should not have to walk upon the ground."

Meanwhile the bandits were bickering.

"The toads ate all the food, didn't they?" Whimpered Blacktooth.

"There was never any food!" Snapped Splintnose, before pointing an accusatory finger at Secrat. "You lied!"

"Noone likes a conspiracy theorist! Stupid!" Snapped Secrat.

"I think they're zombies." Said Green-eyes seriously. He pointed at the band of slowly charging toads. "Do they look alive to you!?"

"Zombies aren't real!" Splintnose protested. "They're called the Undead, nincompoop."

"Stop making up words!"

"So wait… if all they eat is brains… they can give me food?"

"Blacktooth." Said the albino sable with a facepaw. "There wasn't ever any food, bro."

"So no food?"

"None."

The fat sable took forever to figure out what that meant. By which time the band of toads were gaining on their unmoving targets.

"I think we should fight." Said Green-eyes. "Together we are much stronger than anything. Together we can do anything. If we stand together we are invincible. So no matter what we must stand together!"

"Do you really think that?" Came Splintnose's patronising voice.

"Yes!" The wolf said fiercely.

"-and I want the big wolf's fur coat. I need a new blanket and the Gods know that sleep is extremely important. Plus it looks good for cuddles, am I right?"

"No!" Green-eyes hated cuddles- he was scared of them. And with speed and force that would have put to shame every Greek Olympian of the time, he ran away. Secrat and the sables soon followed.

* * *

The tracks vanished at the foot of a forest. A gigantic jungle with palm trees so high not even monkeys could enjoy their fruits.

Tian Yi was sweating, Sanjay was uncharacteristically quiet and even Dianbo felt a chill rush through him. Only Shade seemed unphased by the darkness of the forest.

"Poor kids." Said Sanjay at last. "They must be terrified."

"Y-yeah. P-poor kids." Tian Yi stuttered. "Good thing we're not scared, right guys?"

"Absolutely."

"Of course not."

"The tracks disappear over here which means they either crossed the river or entered directly into the jungle. Personally I think the latter is a better idea due to this river's ill reputation, however, we have no way to prove this and their is a chance they decided to cross. Even so, they'll have to follow the river as it's the only landmark this jungle has. So we should be able to catch sight of them." Explained the black jackal matter-of-factedly.

"So we definitely have to go through the deep, dark woods?"

"Positive." Shade marched casually forwards, becoming almost invisible amidst the shadow of the trees. Dianbo and Sanjay followed suite. Tian Yi hesitated a moment longer before she too, made her way forwards.

* * *

 _Footnote: Much like the Feral Islands, the Forest of Yarikan is a kind of feral hubbub. The prologue of Feral Islands gave all the history and stuff- but I'll summarize it here for your sakes._

 _It's a tract of land where animals never became anthropomorphic and therefore all prey species behave as they do in our world and all predatory animals are blood-lusted to the extreme. Oh, and though it's not as powerful as on the Feral Islands the same kind of magic that drives animals into ferality is at play here. It's less powerful because I only need it to affect one character, but it's still there. The Weeper kind of mentioned this in his speech but you may have missed it so here it is for all to see._

 _An in-universe explanation for it being less powerful is that it's situated on a mainland rather than far out to sea._

 _This is also the point where this story earns it's T-rating. It's still not going to be as dark as something like The Feral Islands (as an example) but it will have it's moments of tension-mounting horror- like the crossing the river scene for example. I didn't go into too much detail obviously and arguably the overall rating of this is K+ but it's better safe then sorry._

 _Originally the Forests of Yarikan were inside a canyon- but I changed it here for the sake of plot. So I kept the crossing but not the climbing part of this chapter. And yes, as you probably guessed the bandits are still at play._


	12. Life Is Racing Through A Jungle

The bandits had no idea what the Forests of Yarikan were. Their education had been limited to 'pick pockets like this', 'threaten people like this', 'tie knots like so', and such things. So the thought of cover- and a dozen hiding places greatly appealed to them.

The four had all started in the same place, but their running-to-food speeds were vastly different from their running-from-fanatics speed. Splintnose, despite his short stature and little legs, was quite far ahead of the others. Green-eyes hurtled through the ground on all fours, his tongue lolling out of his mouth in a desperate attempt to lose body heat. Blacktooth was huffing and puffing a few feet behind both of them. He would have been quicker but was forced to hold up his baggy pants due to a distinct lack of belt. Secrat brought up the rear. She refused to run on all fours, full stop. The mud of her companion's trail would ruin her vanilla-scent and put her sweet, beautiful, colorful nails at risk. And she would rather get sacrificed a thousand times than put them in any kind of danger.

Despite the fact that the toads had started the chase at a slow pace, they had since sped up considerably. Whether this was due to the itching powder wearing off (in all cases except the butter knife wielding butt scratcher), adrenaline, newfound strength, healed bruises or because Putana had proclaimed that the last one to the bandits was a sacrifice… and they knew by now that this was most certainly not a joke.

And now they were close enough to throw stuff. Knives covered the horizon and landed in the river, or somewhere else a good way away from their targets.

To spur themselves onwards Blacktooth and Splintnose played a game, wherein they shouted out their favourite foods as loud as they could and imagined them in front of them, this kept them on their toes... As if the Prophet and her gang weren't enough...

"Banana chutney! That is the best chutney, in the world! And the only chutney worth eating, period!" Splintnose screamed, his paws widening, his feet quickening their pace.

"Strawberry lassi! I only had it once, but it was a massive pot and their were bits of fruit inside and mint leaves floating about, it was big enough for me to bathe in!" The fat sable groaned. "I'm hungry now!"

Splintnose had to battle the mental image of Blacktooth covered in mud and dirt, sitting square in the center of a glass bowl, strawberry lassi standing up to his chin, scrubbing at his armpits with bunches of mint leaves while strawberries stuck out of the fat sable's ears. He would have been sick if he wasn't running.

"A giant onion pakora!" Whooped Green-eyes, who in his haste to taste the imaginary food nearly crashed into a tree.

This was a more or less effective technique until one toad suddenly shot ahead of the rest, and threw it's tongue forwards. It was just long enough to catch Secrat by the leg. The amphibian shot forwards and reeled itself in towards it's target- who had by now fallen with a shriek. The slave was expecting success, but was instead kicked away.

By now another group of toads had managed to catch up to her, and hopped onto the she-wolf. Secrat batted away the smaller creatures. So desperate was she to escape their webbed fingers that, her nails be damned, she brought pawfuls of mud into them with ferocity and rage worthy of a lioness. Until a coconut caught her on the head. Then she fell with a groan and barely stirred.

Blacktooth, who had stopped upon hearing her fall the first time, watched her thrash and fight until she was defeated. Then the band of toads was upon him. As they drew closer, he panicked and fainted clean away. It was not like he could have run much more anyways.

"BRO!" Splintnose watched in horror as the amphibian assailants began to tie up their captives on Putana's orders.

"Forget him! He's dead!" Green-eyes pulled the white sable off the ground and continued to race away through the dark jungle.

"Then why're they tying him up, stupid!" The albino did his very best at beating off the wolf's grip… in other words next to nothing.

"Shut up! This is your all fault!"

* * *

Putana surveyed her catch with a massive grin on her face. One extremely fat, albeit dirty sable, and a she-wolf. "The Gods will be pleased. The black one especially has very soft fur. I'm sure he'd make a nice rug. On second thoughts I want a coat."

"Should we bring them back to the temple?" Asked one toad.

"No! I have sacrificed enough today. Blood, sweat and tears. I pray the Gods grant me days like this more often. All I do, is in their service. I am nothing more than their slave." She brushed herself off and rose from the palanquin. "But even a slave of the Gods must have some privileges. I know of a fat man who will no doubt be glad to receive this blessing of the Gods. We will sell it to him for gold- or if we reach Ashtar first we shall sell them ourselves. As the Gods wish. Set my palanquin along the water and we shall be swept away by their will alone."

* * *

"Do you hear that?" All four jackals asked one another simultaneously.

"It sounds like screaming. Someone in danger maybe?" Dianbo didn't even need to draw his whip- it was already out and ready.

"Eh, could just be Indian food." Sanjay shrugged.

"The voice is familiar." Shade did not need to draw his weapons of choice either, merely raise them slightly.

They were unlike anything Dianbo had ever seen. They were not the katanas of Japan or the dao of China. They were not Indian either. The metal work was too thick. A pair of short, straight, identical blades with a red and green handle respectively. If the screaming had not gotten so much louder Dianbo would have asked about them. But now concentration was necessary.

Green-eyes exploded from the darkness, tripped over a root, and was thus spared from Shade's strong, decapitating swing. Dianbo jumped onto his back, and pinned the lupine's right arm behind him. Sanjay secured the burly wolf's legs, and in seconds the canine was at their mercy.

"Is it just me or do these guys keep getting easier and easier?"

"Pride comes before the fall Sanjay." Tian Yi emerged from behind a tree. Upon noticing the quizzical looks her siblings shot her she hastened to explain. "Thought I'd be more useful as back-up. Anyways I wouldn't want to get in your way, enclosed space and all that tosh."

"Tosh?" Sanjay grinned contemplatatively... If that was possible. "Is that even a word?"

"Yes!" Snapped Tian Yi.

"Don't kill me! Take Splintnose, he's dumb and stupid anyways. Not even his grandma likes him." This was the wolf, begging for mercy.

There came a muffled 'hey!' from under the wolf.

"Didn't we easily defeat you earlier on?" This came from Shade. His voice aloof and disinterested, as always.

Green-eyes glared at the black jackal who had sheathed his blades upon finding no more use for them.

"No!" He wasn't very convincing. "I don't remember that!"

"I must have hit you too hard. Pity." He didn't sound like he had much pity.

"Are you guys seriously following us around?" Sanjay sniggered and whipped out a feather (Sir Laughs-A-Lot in case you needed to know) before raising the wolf's leg. "Because we're kind of on a super-important rescue mission and all and we can't afford any distractions."

"Now is not the time for tickling." Snapped Dianbo, his all-powerful scowl painting itself back into it's usual position on his face.

"But I wanna!"

"No!"

Sanjay obeyed for once, and brought the feather back into the safety of his pockets.

Dianbo then released the wolf's arms, but didn't get off yet. "Alright, why're you chasing after us?"

"We wanted revenge!" Said Green-eyes with no hesitation. "You broke Secrat's nail and humiliated us with punches and kicks of the unfair kind! So we wanted to pummel you into the ground. But then there was this giant pakora-"

"There was no pakora-!" Snapped Splintnose, squeezing his head out from under the wolf.

"I'm telling the story stupid!" Green-eyes shoved the sable back under. "But this band of evil toads must have eaten it- and then they wanted to sacrifice us! So we ran. But they caught Secrat and the fat sable- I forgot what his name was. Something complicated."

"Blacktooth!" Came Splintnose's muffled shout.

"And then you attacked us again! And now we need to get more revenge then when we started. This is all someone else's fault!"

Dianbo turned to his siblings each in turn. Sanjay shrugged, Tian Yi looked puzzled and Shade… didn't seem to have any emotions. As strange and crazy as all of that sounded… this country was strange and crazy and quite frankly what the wolf said wasn't too unbelievable.

Dianbo got off the wolf, who rose to his feet. Green-eyes dusted off his chest and glared viciously at the jackals. "Ha! You were foolish to release me! Now revenge will be-" Sanjay had no qualms about hitting below the belt. And did so. Rather hard. The lupine crumpled.

"D-do we just leave him here or?" Asked Tian Yi, staring at the darkness around the trees with nothing but fear.

"No. That would be most cruel. He wouldn't last a day here and most things in this forest won't kill him quickly." Shade drew the red-handled sword. "I on the other paw-"

"Shaaaade!" Sanjay very carefully resheathed his brother's blade. "We're not stabbing anyone."

"As you will."

"So we take him with us?" Dianbo frowned at the idea, but couldn't think of any alternatives. He turned to Sanjay. "I don't suppose you have any rope?"

"Nah, but I have about six belts so I think we're set."

"You carry around spare belts?" A part of Dianbo wasn't even surprised at this point.

"Oh they're not mine. I just forget to give them back to people after I de-pants them."

Dianbo scowled.

"What? They're usually chasing after me, or yelling deaththreats." Sanjay handed them to him. All were different sizes and all were different colours.

Dianbo raised an especially tiny one- about the size of a worm.

"Mushak M. Mouse." Was Sanjay's immediate reply. "He lost a bet."

"And I suppose the giant one is Aryan's?" Tian Yi wore the grim expression of one dealing with an incorrigible child... That wasn't even a metaphor really.

"Close. It's actually Aryan's twin brother's."

Dianbo shook his head in disapproval, before turning to bind the wolf. The elephant belt pinned his arms to his side, and another clamped his paws tightly together. The third went around the wolf's muzzle- to serve as both a leash and an effective gag.

The lupine glared at him, and though he was sorely lacking in the intellectual department… he was smart enough to know when he was beaten. And that was what he most certainly was right now.

"What about this one?" Asked Shade, drawing the other's attention to Splintnose.

The white sable had originally been planning on ditching Green-eyes to go rescue his brother- noone sacrificed his bro. But he was stopped in his tracks by the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

It was love at first sight- to the point that highly romantic music he'd once heard at his grandpa's funeral was playing inside his head. He was even convinced that his eyes had widened into wide, bright red hearts.

"You're p-p-prrrrrrrrrrrrretty." He purred.

Tian Yi frowned at him.

 _A frown!_ Reciprocation! _Perhaps even an_ affectionate _frown? That was affection in her eyes, wasn't it?_

It was closer to surprise. "Um… okay."

He gushed, and went as red as a setting sun. He shut his eyes and flattened his cheeks with his paws. He was okay! Not 'good' yet, but certainly 'okay' was better than 'bad'."

Shade watched emotionlessly at the albino sable's peculiar behaviour. Green-eyes was giving a scowl of disapproval that matched Dianbo's on a rainy day. Sanjay looked properly confused by this sudden turn of events. Dianbo himself was torn between being sympathetic (as he had very recently been in Splintnose's position of liking a member of a different species, no less one he had barely known… though he hadn't looked as stupid) and scowling fiercely as thoughts of ripping the sable apart piece by piece became present in his mind… ultimately he gave an awkward cough and- ignoring all attempts at addressing the issue- answered Shade's original question.

"I suppose we tie him to the wolf."

Green-eyes growled, as if to say 'don't get that thing anywhere near me', but he was overruled, and a moment later Splintnose was strapped to his chest- sighing in contentment, his face still visibly red under the mess that was his white fur.

"Don't try anything stupid or we'll get Shade to stab you and we don't want that- now do we? So keep up!" Tian Yi spun on her heel and lead the way. Dianbo and Sanjay stood positioned at either side of Green-eyes while Shade brought up the rear.

"-and that was how the God Musggalakazar created all the rivers of the world. We should all be thankful for this great service he has done to us unwittingly! I believe-" What looked like a small boat but was really a floating palanquin shot past the jackals like a cork from a bottle. All the toads were huddled near the center where they clutched at each other for comfort- having seen all the sharp, gleaming and hungry fangs that grinned up at them from just under the water. Except Putana, who was haphazardly perched at the edge of her raft, her eyes shut and webbed finger pointed up at the dark canopy above. She was most likely inedible anyways, so had nothing to fear.

Sanjay was the first to recover from the unexpected sighting. "I guess we're on the right track."

* * *

 _Footnote: And the Whacky Adventures Of Resigned Sighers continues with another ultra-silly chapter. The Yarikan arc may be the darkest point of this light-hearted action comedy, but that's not saying much. By my standards the darkness should be pretty low here._

 _Splintnose getting shot by Cupid? Surprise? Well, it was kind of I think slightly implied in the original that he fancies Tian Yi, but implications are for serious fics. So what other choice did I have but to turn him into a gushy romantic?_

 _Plus it opens up a fun parralel between him and Dianbo. For those still catching up with my mountain of work- essentially Dianbo had a very one-sided romance with a rather bratty rich cat who treated himl ike a dirty rag more or less. I'm not saying Tian Yi is like Safi, but Splintnose and Dianbo are both hopelessly in love with someone who... Doesn't reciprocate. Of course we shall see how their relationship expands._


	13. Life Is A Call Of Nature

"I was the best hunter." Said the Weeper, to a group of enraptured slavers who all huddled around the leopard. Bei was not amongst them, having the more important task of carrying the kids. Quillus though, and by extension Licky, was. Not because he was interested, but because he needed to pretend he was still in charge. Only now did he realize why the Weeper had been so willing to journey through the jungle. Here it did not matter who outranked who- those were all technicalities. Here all that mattered was that Quillus was more scared than most and that the Weeper wasn't.

The leopard was in familiar territory, he was nostalgic- happy even! And the aura of confidence that seemed to surround him was more desirable in leadership than the shivering porcupine sitting on a bear's head.

"I was the last of my siblings. Three brothers, one sister. They were all skilled hunters, but when I was born our seer knew at once that I bore a great destiny. The white of my fur attracted much envy amongst the other Kucha- if not for my brothers I would be only a rag by now. It is a colour of luck, the colour of pale bone. But by age three-ten I had surpassed them all. I was quicker, stronger, smarter and had an eye for tracking."

"I killed my first man at thirteen." Said Quillus, half-heartedly trying to impress his motley crew. "Stabbed him in the leg-"

"While your bear chewed his face off." Snapped one. "Whatever. Now don't interrupt... Captain."

The porcupine crossed his paws over his chest. So he wasn't as good at killing things as the Weeper- but he was better at other things… probably…

The pale-furred leopard continued, as if there had been no interruption.

"At age five-ten I was to become a man. Our Islands were surrounded by a mist of red and often sea-men would be captured by the Kucha. These were harder prey, for they had wits and instincts to match against our own. One sea-man was a young fox. Like the one we carry but with shorter ears, and fur like the colour of blood."

The assorted slavers shivered, imagining all sorts of monstrous foxes.

"He was a maegi. A creature of magic. There would be a flash of green light and he would vanish, or a puff of smoke and he'd appear. I was young and foolish. As a child the seer had always enthralled me. I wanted to be seer but I needed magic."

He raced ahead of the enthralled audience. "I asked the fox to teach me. But he refused. He was released and our hunting began." The Weeper vanished amidst the trees, and reappeared behind the party. "One by one. He slew my brothers. Magic tricks, good luck… and his companion, the flaming boar." Once more the leopard vanished. He came down from above onto a gharial. "But I was a hunter. And I hunted. I caught the fox, and smashed his skull into a thousand pieces. That was when the boar struck, and flames peeled off fur and flesh alike." He got off the crocodile and helped the reptile back to it's feet, simultaneously showing off his scarred face as much as possible.

"I don't remember my brothers. Or my sister." He said bitterly and in a lower voice, as if he was conveying a great secret. "But I will remember the magic ones that took them from me till my dying day.'

Silence followed his words. The slavers looked on in awe and verenation. Except Quillus, who clapped. Very, very slowly. "Great story. Real great. Amazing. Love your work. You should learn to write someday."

"You don't think it's true." The leopard said with an insolent smirk.

"I don't." Said Quillus flatly. "Now enough bedtime stories. Good work men. I say we break for the day. Make camp close to the river… but not too close." And with that Licky sauntered off to a quiet corner, where Quillus could set up their tent.

"It is real, isn't it?" One slaver asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

"Every word of it." The Weeper replied.

"Then why did you leave your _great island_?" Came Bei's skeptical voice.

"The seer said my destiny had changed. That I no longer belonged amongst the Kucha. The tribe gave me a boat and three day's worth of provisions and three days to leave. So I left. I snuck onto a slaveship headed for Ashtar- ambitious pirates from the Islands to the East. And ever since I have fought and killed my way to where I am now."

Bei still frowned skeptically.

"You don't believe me either? Is it so hard to believe that sometimes we must leave our homes. Sometimes we have no choice, as you well know Bei."

She glared for a short while, before disappearing to make her own tent.

* * *

"He's not so great. He got knocked out when we went raiding this time! Did I get knocked out? No! No I did not, but everyone seems to forget that." He had been riding a giant bear and had only really faced a particularly stupid owl in the shape of adversary. But still! He hadn't knocked himself out...

Licky shook her head and the porcupine landed on his face.

"I know _you_ remember Licky. But most people don't view you as a person."

The bear was shaking her head for some reason, and was stumbling around the inside of their tent.

"Of course _I_ do." The porcupine insisted. Then he sighed. "Sometimes I wonder what I'd be without you. A pile of bones most likely." The porcupine dove into the overly large travelling sack that hung from the ursine's side. He pulled out a very large box of sweets he'd been saving for a rainy day. Now was as good a time as any he supposed. Sugar would make him braver. He plopped a laddu into his mouth and selected a considerably larger one for his stead. "Who wants a treeeeat?"

To his surprise Licky spun suddenly and roared into his face. The force of it alone made his fur blow like a sail in a gale. And the look in her eyes was one he'd never seen before- like that of a savage beast. A moment later she was rolling on the ground, her paws over her head. She twisted onto her back and writhed against the floor- as if she was beset by termites. Then suddenly she stopped and went still.

"Come on Licky, what's the matter with you?" Quillus edged carefully forwards. He climbed onto her stomach and sat down, gently rubbing her fur with his remaining paw (the other currently busy holding up a giant laddu). "You tired? Stressed out? On your… girly-girl-thing?"

The bear grunted and looked up at him. "Okay, I thought not. But whatever it is, I'm here for you, you know that."

The bear seemed to relax slightly. This Quillus took as a sign that she was back to normal.

"Come on. I know laddu's your favourite."

The bear sat up, enough to reach him but not enough to throw the smaller mammal off of her, and licked him- before she turned to the laddu. In truth it was her favourite.

* * *

This was how Putana found them a few minutes later. One scoffing every sweet Quillus lovingly sent her way, and the other covered in bear saliva.

"My Lord!" The toad said, announcing her arrival.

"Jamun Gulab…" The porcupine growled. "What do you want _now_? I don't want to see your sacrifice's intestines! I just ate. And Licky doesn't either, so scram."

The toad laughed. "How often the ignorant send away the messengers of the Gods."

Licky growled, rolling over so that she stood protectively over the porcupine.

"I have brought two more slaves by the mercy of the Gods. By their grace and yours I'd like an extra cut of the profit. The Gods demand it. And so do I."

"Okay. Two more slaves means more money for all of us. Good job. Go you!" He raised his arms in false cheer, then pointed outside. "Now get out."

"I am not done. A sacrifice has yet to be made and my own slaves are all worn out. The Gods demand fresh fle-"

"You can't have any of the kids." Quillus snapped. "Now get _out_." And so the Prophet left, muttering darkly under her breath. "And I thought she left." Quillus' good mood seemed to vanish. Licky went back to relaxing besides him and, as her name suggested, passed her tongue over the side of his face. His smile returned as he picked up the sweet box. "How about some burfi now? You like that don't you?" Her only response was to lean in as close as she could- being ever-mindful of his quills- and do as she always did.

"I'm gonna need a bath after this aren't I? Ah well, as long as _you're_ happy."

* * *

Jamal whimpered as the first fires came to life around them and the slavers began digging in to their supply bags for nourishment. "We're never going home."

"Shut up Jamal! You're annoying." Snapped Ravi. He then glared intensely at the nearest slaver's back. "I just need to activate my magical powers. Then we will very easily get home."

"You don't have magical powers." Padma said with a sniffle.

"Padma! Stop ruining my concentration. If I can just focus for long enough I'll be able to shoot fire from my eyes and incinerate that guy."

"You don't even know what incinerate means." Ganga spoke sternly. "And everyone knows it's pronounced 'insence-ur-rate'."

"No it's _not_!"

* * *

"I'm hungry." Complained one langur. "And all I have are bananas. Just because I'm a monkey…"

"Just eat them." Said Bei.

"I don't want healthy shit!" The simian whined. "I want something with flavour. Does anyone have any of those Indian sweets?"

"Captain does." Came the Weeper's voice. "But I don't think he's sharing."

"What about those spicy things?"

"All for his pet." Said a crocodile contemptuously. The band were silent until that reptile continued. "Weeper you're a hunter... What does meat taste like?"

It took the leopard a short while to understand the question, but when he did, he laughed. "Like the sweetest thing there is."

"Meat is sweet?" Came the voice of another slaver, surprised.

"Meat is juicy." Said the Weeper, a mad glint in his eye. "It is… whole. One bite of raw flesh is worth more than all your supplies put together. And cooked... It's to die for."

The crocodile stood up and wiped at his drooling jaws. "You thinking what I'm thinking? To hell with Quillus and his bear. We did just as much as that fat little clown. Those kids are as good as ours. Now who's hungry?"

Bei scowled in disapproval and the langur went green, but most of the slavers were predatory and hungry.

* * *

"They're coming." Jamal whispered, his eyes screwed shut. "They're coming now. They're coming for me."

"Don't be ridiculous." Said Ganga, trying to remain calm.

But he wasn't being ridiculous. The Weeper brought a fist down on the whimpering boar and tossed him into the dirt, where the other slavers proceeded to kick him. An apple was shoved into his screaming mouth and his limbs tied to a stake.

Ravi was pale and frozen in horror, all thoughts of super-awesome secret powers forgotten. Ganga burst into tears and Padma was screaming.

"N-no you can't! You can't do this! Don't! _Please!_ Please don't do thi-"

"Quiet pup." Snapped the leopard, landing a powerful blow to the side of her head that reduced her to whimpering. Jamal was being placed over a fire, and the slavers were laughing at his pathetic squirming. Tears ran down the side of his face. Bei had her back turned to the scene and was chewing an apple.

And Surya was quite sure he fainted. Only as usual, he hadn't fainted. He was lost in darkness now. He couldn't see or feel or hear. He had no limbs, no ears, no tail. And he was wrestling with something. Something trying to squash him into a corner. But desperation told him he couldn't be in a corner, that he had to fight. And for once, his opponent was not so strong. The pair tumbled along the ground, squeezing and pulling and pushing. And then with a feeling rather akin to emerging from a long tunnel, Surya had won. He was no longer bound by ropes. Had he been more attentive, he'd have realised that he was taller now, that the left side of his body felt different from the right.

But he didn't. All he noticed was his classmate being roasted over a fire and with a roar of rage he darted forwards. The laughing slavers gave him a wide berth, and he snatched Jamal away from the flames.

"Hey, what gives?"

He turned to the slaver, a befuddled crocodile, and realized that he was holding Jamal. A classmate slightly bigger than him. He saw the other children through eyes that were not his own… and saw that he was slumping slightly...

And then he was being thrown backwards, and with a gasp Surya woke up.

"What's the matter with you Weep-" The albino shoved the gharial aside. He looked murderous and blood oozed from his nose.

Surya tried to run, but remembered he was still tied down. Noone was looking at Jamal now, who seemed unhurt.

"MAEGI!" Shrieked the leopard, wrenching his bone spear free of the ground and hurling it at Surya with enough strength to impale an ox.

The fennec saw death spin towards him, and then the spear was caught in the jaws of a bear, atop whom stood a very angry looking, saliva-coated porcupine. Licky spat the spear out and turned, growling, to face it's owner.

" _What_ did you _not_ understand when I said that my slaves are not for eating?" Quillus looked murderous, which was an impressive look for someone with drool dripping off their quills. It was probably because his bear also looked murderous.

The Weeper wiped the blood off his nose, but stood his ground. "He was using his magics on me-"

"Really? It's a magic _boar_ now? Put that kid back with the others and give him the tissue!"

Bei effortlessly lifted the sobbing Jamal and did as she was ordered.

"As for you… I think you're forgetting that _I'm_ in charge here. Maybe you all need a reminder."

Licky stood on her hind legs, and roared at the top of her lungs. It's voice echoed through-out the trees.

"Bei. Put them in my tent. All of them. And Weeper, you lay a claw on my property again, you lose a head. _Kapish?_ "

"I understand." The Weeper said with a growl. "But you cannot stop me. Our comrades want meat, and meat they shall have." He turned to the group of slavers. "I am going hunting! Any who wish to join me are welcome to do so." The feline marched past the bear and her porcupine and picked up his spear. "Today we shall feast!"

"Ha! Like anyone would want to go hunting with _you_. Sorry kitty but my men have better things to-"

"I'll come." Said the gharial, drawing his sword. "I want to know what hunting feels like."

"I'll come too!"

"And me!"

"Let's get some real food!" One by one the predators of his band marched past him and stood besides the Weeper, till all he had left were a langur munching on bananas, Bei and Putana's horde.

"We shall return soon." The Weeper promised. "You can guard the camp. Make sure the kiddies don't get away."

The hunters turned away and began to disappear into the woodlands.

"Okay! Go hunting! See if I care! I don't need you guys anyways. I've got Licky and… and… yeah!"

* * *

Putana frowned at the display. She could feel a shifting in her bowels. Ordinary people would call it indigestion, she knew it to be a sign. The balance of power was changing…

"Slaves!" She whispered to her toads. "The Gods never send me anything in vain." Quillus was nothing but a fat little runt lucky to even be alive- it was the Weeper who bore a great destiny on his shoulders- how had she not seen it before?

But to overthrow Crotos Quillus, one first had to deal with his bear.

"Build a cage. A big one. Big enough for a bear." Yes, she could see it now. The Weeper in charge and Quillus amongst the slaves. "Or be sacrificed." Her slaves shot to their feet and got to work.

Yes… the balance of power was most certainly changing…

* * *

 _Footnote: I like to think that Putana uses her God's to justify basically everything she does- so balance of power bs aside, she's only on Team Weeper coz she doesn't like Quillus._

 _If you're confused about what happened with Surya and the Weeper... Good. You know how he feels now XD Though some of you might remember from last time. More on that later._

 _What's up with Licky? Why are the slavers suddenly so flesh-hungry? Blame the forest. Of course Quillus doesn't know about what it does (and neither do the slavers for that matter). Last time I said that the magic was weaker, but I think it's probably unfair to say that. The magic works differently in Yarikan but it's not necessarily stronger or weaker- but It does take effect on *some* people faster than others._

 _This chapter was hectic enough that the jackals don't even show up... But the next chapter is pretty much only them so I think it's a fair division._

 _I have a question regarding pacing. I know I'm kind of updating super-often and all but... Does it feel rushed? I mean I don't think I'm rushing it but you never know. So what do you think?_

 _Enjoy_


	14. Life Is When A Fish Bites You

"That's them alright."

Although the footprints and scent of the slavers had long since vanished, Shade had been correct about the river. Following it had lead them right to the camp… which now sat laughing at them from the other side of a raging river. It couldn't be any other camp since they recognized the band of toads as the ones they had previously fought. Dianbo and Sanjay also recognised a fat little porcupine and his large feral bear. That kind of description wasn't exactly commonplace- so all knew they were on the right track.

And on the wrong embankment.

"We should cross." Dianbo decided. "Sneak in and find out where they're keeping the kids."

"I think sneaking in would ultimately be a waste of time." Shade countered. At the scowl on the other jackal's face he continued. "We should not _announce_ our arrival. But we are going to have to deal with the slavers anyway. The sooner, the better."

"I agree with Dianbo though. They kind of outnumber us and stuff. Plus you're the only one who seems to have a kill-bone here. I'd rather not get blood on my paws."

Tian Yi didn't say anything, the she-jackal had gone very, very pale for some reason, but Shade guessed (correctly) that she would agree with the other two.

"Very well. I think we should cross a bit more down-river. This nullifies the risk of them seeing us now and it's likely that there are some guards on watch duty. It would be best to strike from the least likely angle."

Dianbo and the others nodded in agreement. Except for Green-eyes, who was probably screaming something rude (not that anyone could tell seeing as he couldn't utter any words), and Splintnose, who was far too busy staring dreamily at Tian Yi.

"We should probably find somewhere narrower too."

And with that the four jackals and their captives, vanished into the undergrowth.

* * *

A toad on the other side of the river scratched at his head awkwardly... He could have sworn he'd seen a black jackal from earlier. But that was probably just all the post-traumatic stress talking. He went back to turning Putana's palanquin into a working cage- complete with wheels and little spines so that whoever was thrown inside could never rest easy. The Gods demanded it and his life depended on it.

* * *

It did not take long for the heroic quartet and their unwilling (or too willing in one case) companions found the perfect place to cross. It was narrow, almost entirely devoid of rocks (save and except for a large sharp one that jutted out the center of the river). Only fording wasn't an option. The current was too strong and just a bit further down-river lay a set of rapids.

"I suppose we'll just have to cut the slavers off before they reach Ashtar." Said Tian Yi glumly. "Ambush anyone?"

"Or we could go over the river." Dianbo jabbed a glass paw at the overhanging branch that lay conveniently over the half-way rock. "Swing in from that. I bet it can take…" He paused to contemplate Green-eyes. "…Most of our weight. Only I'm not sure I can reach it." A quick test proved that the branch lay a considerable distance away from his whip.

"We can work with that." Sanjay was unbuckling the belts around the bandits with practiced ease and almost worrying speeds.

The only downside to having to use Sanjay's collection of belts, was that it left both bandits free. Not that either of them were stupid enough to attack or anything, but they did talk a lot.

"Your fur, it's glittery like… like… like shiny stuff covered in glitter." Said Splintnose to Tian Yi.

"There is no way you're going to make me risk my life by swinging in from that tiny branch." Said Green-eyes... To noone in particular.

"For you, I will steal the biggest score in India. Your heart. And I don't mean that in the creepy doctor way. I'm gonna steal your heart b-b-but it's still going to be in your body." Oh no! He'd just said something stupid! He needed to backtrack… no! Cover it up and make it look better.

"I've got a grandmother you know. She hates my guts and won't ever forgive me for that one time I-"

"And not only would I steal _your_ heart. B-but I'd steal _for_ your heart. Anything you want, I can plunder. Or go to jail for trying. Y-you'd wait for me right?"

"And it wasn't really my fault. I most certainly did not put the kitchari on the toilet seat- but then all her friends got food poisoning-"

"I'm not really a great robber. But you, you most certainly are! You have stolen it all! My mind, my heart, my stomach, my paws, my tail-"

"But I still think my grandma doesn't want me dead so you can't kill me!"

"I'm entirely at your service!"

"Which means I'm not crossing that river!"

Dianbo scowled at both. He had not expected to find someone more annoying than Sanjay... let alone two and on such short notice as well! He'd been in Upma for two days… two days and he was already in the middle of a jungle surrounded by people he had spent less than forty-eight hours with. This country was crazy… or maybe that was just his life...

"You're crossing." He snapped, leaving no room for argument. "Now we need someone to stay on the rock in the middle so they can pass the belts along to whoever needs it. I'm guessing that'll be my job."

"You're too big." Tian Yi pointed out. "A rock that size doesn't have nearly enough space for two of us at a time."

"Unless we use tiny over here!" The burly wolf pointed at Splintnose, who momentarily came back down to earth.

"Not doing it! I may be thick-skulled but I am not dumb enough to sit on a random rock in the middle of the river and watch you lot swing past. You think I don't know what's going on here, do you? Well I do and you're not going to abandon me in the middle of a river. In case you haven't noticed I'm little and therefore weigh less. Which means I can't swing onto the other bank unless their is sufficient force or weight to propel me forwards. Seeing as I can muster neither this entire plan is flawed. You cannot and will not make me do it-"

"What if I asked you?" This was Tian Yi, not batting her eyelids or trying to seduce him or anything. Really her tone was icy enough to be considered threatening- but all Splintnose could see was the former. She was _asking_! Asking him of all people! Clearly it didn't matter that he was small and dirty! His opinion mattered to her and the thought of it made his heart swell and the sable blush.

"Of courrrrrrse I'd do it." The little purr was beyond his control too. Just like the coloration of his skin.

Green-eyes booted him. Not because he hated him (but that too) but because he'd spent at least ten years arguing with the sable about the best ways to rob people and never once had Splintnose agreed to a plan that was not his own. And to see him do it for a she-jackal at least twice his height who had destroyed Secrat's nail… why it was plain infuriating!

The love-struck sable hit the stone face-first. But the power of true love and good karma (not to mention the claws latched around the boulder for safety) prevented him from slipping into the current below.

"I'll go first." Said Shade plainly. He grabbed hold of the elephant belt and without even a miniscule change in expression- swung neatly onto the stone in the center. He landed softly, with barely a sound, and a moment later was safely on the other bank. Not saying a word the black jackal swung the belts back to Splintnose, who promptly swung it back to the other bank.

Dianbo caught the makeshift rope, which was promptly siezed by Sanjay. "Me next!"

Without waiting for reply or confirmation, Sanjay went. He landed harder than Shade but not badly, and had a spring in his step by the time he reached the other side.

"That was fun!"

The black jackal ignored him.

From where he stood, Dianbo scowled. It was not meant to be fun. "Tian Yi, you're next."

His sister was less pale now, and nodded. She reached out to take the rope, but it was grabbed by Green-eyes.

"I'm next!" He growled.

Dianbo did not move, but saw no reason to argue. The branch seemed to be holding it's weight well.

"Fine."

"I thought so. Watch and learn pups." He failed. Rather badly, and swung too close to the water. His face hit the stone, as did most of his body. Panicking, the lupine thrashed for a while, grazing himself rather badly along the knee. Ignoring the pain and a light trickle of blood, the wolf managed to drag himself to the top of the rock. He kicked off of it hard enough to make it shake, there was a loud snap and part of the branch above cracked.

"Watch and learn." Sanjay sniggered, until he caught sight of something long and black slithering under the surface.

Splintnose had been knocked off balance by the force of his fellow bandit's exit, but the sable managed to drag himself upright on the rock- oblivious to the black shape circling his tiny island.

"Alright." Said Dianbo, trying to remain calm. "Alright. Stay clear of the water and make this journey a quick one. I'll meet you on the other bank."

Tian Yi had gone so white she no longer resembled a healthy jackal. Her paws were shaking as they reached out to grab the waiting rope. And when they did manage to close around it they held Aryan's twin brother's belt with enough force to throttle a rhino.

"Are you okay?"

"Never better." She breathed, in a voice somehow so much smaller than anything Dianbo had ever heard.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Just stay clear of the water and you'll be fine. Even Sanjay did that much." This was probably not the best encouragement he could give, but it was nonetheless encouragement. "And ignore the fishes. They're useless outside of water."

A bit of colour (a microscopic pigment) returned to her. It vanished three seconds later when Splintnose finally noticed that he was not alone.

"Sweet _rice!"_

It was a profanity Dianbo had never heard before, but it was not hard to derive it's meaning from the sable's reaction. It was probably something akin to 'oh shit'. Splintnose was shaking so hard now that it was a wonder and a miracle he didn't fall right into the river. He was precariously balanced on the tip of the rock, all four paws holding him as firmly to the wet ground as was physically possible.

Tian Yi lost all her courage, and was about to faint.

Taking the initiative Dianbo grabbed the belt and swung forwards. There was perhaps not enough force to propel them both, but the makeshift rope held firm and their combined weight managed to bring them to the rock. And it was a good thing too for one of the fishes had come flying out the river, it's jaws wide open and showing off at least a hundred pointed fangs. One of Tian Yi's limp legs caught the aquatic on the side and knocked it off course, so that it missed the albino bandit by an inch.

The landing was unsteady and Dianbo had to drop the belt so he could use his real paw to prevent his sister from falling into the river. Splintnose added to the pressure by wrapping his paws around one of his sister's legs.

"You saved my life! I love you even more right now... If that's even possible!"

Dianbo would have scowled, but at that moment the branch gave way beneath their combined weight. The three slipped, but Dianbo held firmly on to both the belt and his sister. Splintnose was not as lucky and though he still held firmly to Tian Yi, he hit the water.

Another fish, smaller than the first but with no less fangs, was the first to the unfortunate sable and locked it's jaws firmly around his rump.

Splintnose screamed. Very, very loudly.

"Fudge! Fudge! Fudge! Fudge! Fudge! What do we do!?"

Sanjay had already exhausted much of his projectiles. Itching powder and ink bombs and water balloons were barely even weapons on land, let alone underwater where the rules were quite different.

"We distract them." Without missing a beat Shade stabbed his own paw, so that the blade dove through the black fur.

"What the-"

Ignoring the stunned prankster (who was in completely new territory now) Shade dipped his bleeding paw into the water. As expected the flesh-hungry fishes went for it, even the one holding Splintnose.

Dianbo hauled the whimpering sable onto the rock and as gently as possible, tucked him under an elbow. Tightening his grip on Tian Yi he began to swing the branch and belts around.

"Sanjay!"

"I hear you!"

"Catch the branch and swing it round a tree. We're coming right to you!"

"Okay! I'm ready! SHADE!"

The mass of black fishes had proved overwhelming for the jackal, who now only managed to hang onto land because his blade was stabbed into it. "I'm fine." Somehow he sounded as he always did. He didn't even appear to be in any pain. "Get the others out first."

"Catch!"

Sanjay caught the branch the first time and scrambled to tighten it round a thick trunk that could serve as pivot.

"They ate him…" Green-eyes was staring wide-eyed at the blood-soaked waters.

"Okay! I can't do any better."

Dianbo bent low and shot from the rock like a released spring. A belt gave away but it did not matter, the three managed to crash into solid, safe ground in an untidy jumble. But at least they were alive.

The same could also be said of Shade, who now pulled himself out of the water, entirely unharmed despite the large chunks missing from his trench coat. Not all the fish had the same bragging rights though, as one large one had been cut rather badly, and was now being torn to pieces by it's fellow hunters.

"Y-y-y- I saw your bone!" Green-eyes shouted. Pointing a shaking claw at Shade's paw. "You sliced that open! B-but now-"

"Shut up." The black jackal said coldly. "If you had swung in properly we wouldn't have had to deal with any of this. Your blood is what attracted them. A blade was pointed at the wolf's scraped knee. Shade sheathed it. "Fool."

"Is everyone okay? Tian Yi you fine?" Tian Yi was still deathly pale, but now no longer too scared to nod. "Dianbo?" The jackal grunted and pushed himself to his feet.

"I've been better. But I'll be fine when we get the kids back."

"Bandit?"

Splintnose groaned. Blood soaked much of his lower back and the sable was wracked with pain.

"Put pressure on the wound." Shade ripped off a loose piece of his clothing. "Stop the bleeding. I can't do anything for the pain unfortunately. But he'll live."

Dianbo tied the cloth tightly and flipped the sable onto his back. "You still with us?"

Splintnose, despite all the pain, caught sight of Tian Yi. "Am I in heaven?"

"Yeah he's fine." Dianbo scowled and handed the smaller mammal to his half-sister. "Make sure he doesn't moan too loudly. Let's grab the kids and get out of this place."

"Yeah. And fast." Sanjay added, awkwardly massaging his wrists.

* * *

 _Footnote: Action-packed chapter for you. It feels weird saying that when most of my action is usually a fight scene of some sort. But you know, expanding my skillset to other types of excitement._

 _I debated killing Green-eyes for a bit, since he died in the original and all, but then I needed someone else to drop the blood in the water. It was either him or Sanjay, but if it was Sanjay then an argument could be made that he's responsible and I didn't want to put him through that. It felt a bit much. And then I debated killing Splintnose but then I wouldn't have his and Tian Yi's little romance thing. So instead I had something bite his butt. Literally._

 _As for Shade and what Green-eyes pointed out about him as well as Tian Yi's crippling fear… well more on that later. Some of you may know what's up with Shade- but Tian Yi's is a new arc._

 _Not bad for Team Jackal but they have long-since left most of their comfort zones. Let's see how this affects them in combat now that the Weeper is basically at home._

 _Next time it's back to the slavers and then we have this second arcs climatic battles. And then we get to the third and final arc of this fic (that went fast...). Honest remakes are so easy to write. When the originals are short anyways :P_

 _But all in good time._


	15. Life Is What We Call Many Things

Jamal was inconsolable. The shock and horror of nearly being eaten, the apple jammed in his mouth, the fire and the laughing slavers. It had all been a bit too much for the young boar, who now sobbed helplessly into the damp handkerchief Ganga kept pressed against his face.

Padma had a large purple bruise over the side of her face, but suffered in silence.

Surya too, was silent. It was his usual state of being but even if it hadn't been he'd have kept his mouth shut.

His mind was trying to rationalize- to make sense of what had happened in the past few hours. He had been inside the Weeper. He had seen the world and saved Jamal with the white leopard's eyes and paws.

B-but how? He had fainted. He had fainted and then, as always, he'd awoken to darkness. Every other time he'd been squished into a figurative corner, unable to move or speak or scream. Only, this time he'd fought. And he'd won and… he'd taken over?

But if he had been inside the Weeper, and that was the only explanation he could give for all he'd seen and done, did that mean that the suffocating blackness was… was it someone else's mind? Trying to keep him out and away? It sounded silly and crazy and a little childish. But a part of him was sure he was right.

And that worried him. What happened if he got stuck inside someone else? Once he'd been cornered for several hours, supposing he couldn't get out? Or what if he did get out? But his body was nowhere nearby. Did he become a ghost, or just fade away.

He resolved to do the impossible and not faint anymore. But knew all too well that he had no control over it to begin with.

Ravi, who was still cautiously optimistic, spoke. "Jamal… you okay?"

The boar seemed to sob twice as hard. Ganga shot the tiger cub an irritated look.

"Look man, it's going to be fine. The porcupine and his bear want to keep you alive. And even the leopard saved you… in the end."

Surya swallowed audibly for some reason.

Jamal was now reduced to sniffles.

Inwardly Ganga breathed a humongous sigh of relief.

A bunch of toads entered the tent, carrying two more slaves. One, a heavily bruised she-wolf that was out cold, and the other a dirty black furred sable.

Wordlessly and with a few looks of pity, the toads tied the new arrivals to the pole.

"Hi." Blacktooth said awkwardly, as he was tied between Padma and Surya.

Ravi remembered his manners well. "Greetings. My name is Ravi. These are my friends. Ganga, Jamal, Padma and Surya. We all come from Roti, but Padma and Surya live in Upma, which is just on the other side of the hill."

"Stranger danger!" Hissed Ganga.

"I didn't give our addresses! Relax. Anyways, clearly this gentleman is an animal of honest nature."

"Er- well yeah, I guess. But I'm a professional bandit."

Ganga smacked the top of Ravi's head soundly with her trunk.

"My name's Blacktooth, but my brother calls me bro. She's Secrat, but my brother calls her bitch. We live at our grandmas' place."

"What's a bitch?" Asked Jamal, wiping his snout clean on his shoulder- fur.

Blacktooth searched the area and leaned in conspiratorially. "I'm not sure _exactly_ , but I think it's a bad word."

The kids pulled back.

Ravi nodded. "I think I have an idea." A sadistic cackle errupted from the tiger cub. "The next slaver to come into this tent will be crying their mean little eyes out! Muahahahahaha!"

* * *

"He's not _that_ good a leader!" Quillus was pacing around the camp, Licky following a few steps behind him. "I mean sure, he's a good hunter and he doesn't get scared of jungles and forests and he doesn't get looked down on by everyone… literally and figuratively… though only literally when you're not with me. And he's got scars. But scars are for idiots! I don't have any! That makes me smart, right?" Licky grunted.

"And he's got muscles. So what?" He came to a halt at a bucket of water. "I've got muscles too." He tensed his arms and found… that they were flabby. Tensing his abdomen seemed to do nothing, and only when he poked a paw against his stomach did he find anything hard, after a few inches or so of belly. "In _other_ places. The brain's a muscle too. And the heart… and the stomach."

Licky leaned over him to lap up the water.

"I know I've got you." He said, gently stroking the fur on her neck. "But you're a separate person… to me at least. But I guess you're right, I'm probably overthinking things. The Weeper can't do anything to me while I've got you. Besides, he may be a hunter, but we're survivors. I've lived to…" he paused to count on his stubby fingers. "Thirty three! Ha! Bet the Weeper doesn't even get to thirty."

"Captain!" Came the leopard's hated voice.

"Speak of the chandala." Muttered the porcupine, turning on his heel.

Quillus' eyes widened in horror. His slavers had killed a boar, it's pink and skinless carcass now hung from a spit.

"We have returned." The leopard announced as the rest of the hunters threw fuel into the fire until it was roaring. He pointed at the now-cooking boar. "As you can see, our hunt was successful."

"Successful? It was easy!" Boasted a burly tiger, who now wore the skin of a boar across his shoulders. He pointed a shaking paw at the Weeper. "This man and his tribe, the Kucha or whatever, they're amazing! A force of nature! None of us even saw the swine until the Weeper stabbed it."

"Right through the neck, cleanest death I ever saw." Announced a gharial.

"Bei!" Gabbered a gibbon excitedly. "You should have been with us! Even your serious face would have been surprised!"

Bei frowned. "Somehow I doubt that."

"You know, meat smells good." This was a langur, one of the few slavers that hadn't gone hunting with the others.

Quillus disagreed. Meat stunk. Meat stunk and the thought of putting what had once been a living, breathing, squealing thing into his mouth shook even _him_ to the very bone.

"Yeah. Too bad none's for you. Maybe you can find some of the mangoes it was chewing." Snapped the gibbon.

"Give him some." Said the Weeper. "Even those that do not hunt, must eat."

"Here Bei. Have a slice." The tiger offered her a chunk of stomach.

"I'm a herbivore." She snapped. "And even if I wasn't I wouldn't eat that. Feral or not an animal's an animal."

"Suit yourself." The tiger muttered, before digging in to his chosen piece.

The leopard strolled over to the fire and sliced a large piece off of the carcass' rump. Leaning down to Quillus' height the Weeper presented it to him.

"For you Captain."

The porcupine was not amused. "Haha! No thanks. I'm not eating ass, simple as! You guys may be bloodthirsty but I'm not! I may not be civilized, but I've got _standards!"_

"Perhaps your bear would like it?" Offered the Weeper.

"Licky doesn't eat meat either!" Snapped the porcupine.

Licky, however, proved him wrong when she bit into the hot flesh and chewed at it with something that was almost ecstasy. Quillus was horrified and watched as blood and saliva dribbled down the sides of her hungry jaws.

"At the end of the day, we are all predators or prey. Your stead is a predator, it is only natural that she enjoys the taste of prey."

Quillus didn't like the way the leopard's eyes seemed to gravitate towards his stomach at the last word.

"Best be careful around her Captain. Before she sees you for what you are."

"And what _am_ I, exactly?" He snapped. He wished he was on top of Licky now. The Weeper was much scarier when you were shorter than him.

"Prey." That one word made his quills shiver, but Crotos Quillus stood his ground.

"Fat, slow delectable prey that everyone wants to eat right?" Was the best sarcastic comeback the porcupine could think of. He tried to clamber onto Licky. It was safer on top of her, but the bear shook him off.

"Well, I wouldn't mind a slice." Chuckled another slaver.

Infuriated though he was, Quillus ignored the voice. He got to his feet and once more tried to climb onto Licky's head, but this time she shook him off more firmly, so that he landed in the bucket of water.

"Licky!?"

The other slavers were laughing now, still he tried his best to pull himself out. Bei kicked the bucket away so that it came loose. Then he tried a third time, but was once again refused. Licky, now annoyed and consumed by bloodlust, turned and roared at the porcupine, who froze and curled up in fear.

The slavers were laughing madly now, beating the ground with feet and paws and tails.

The bear turned away and continued to tear at the flesh in front of her.

"When you've finished eating." Quillus declared, trying to hold onto some semblance of dignity. "Break camp. We're leaving this place as soon as possible."

"What about digestion?" The tiger asked. After a long pause he added. "Captain."

Quillus did not dignify that question with an answer and waddled off to his tent.

* * *

"He's taking over _everything_!" The porcupine kicked a stray rock hard, so that it flew right through his (admittedly thin) canvas. "Damn that leopard! And Putana and her prophecies! Magic fox my spiky butt! And Licky!" Here he growled and then he whimpered pitifully, and clutched his tiny ears. "Not again! I can't handle this again!" He spun round in frustration and found that his tent was no longer as empty as he was used to.

"You…" Ravi had originally intended to make the next slaver to enter the tent (through the use of forceful delivery of every bad word he'd ever picked up) _cry_ … he hadn't expected them to already be on the verge of tears. "…bitch."

* * *

Licky regretted the meat. Her stomach was burning, as if she'd swallowed molten metal. Not since the slave pits at Ashtar had she been in so much agony.

It was not truly her intention to betray Quillus, but the sight of flesh had triggered an instinct and she had been forced to taste it. And then it had felt so wonderful, so natural. All she remembered afterwards was pure bliss… but a killer stomach ache had brought her back down to earth rather literally.

It was not only the meat. Someone had hit her hard on the head. Once, twice, thrice, until she'd been knocked off her feet. Now she could feel things, small animals, tying her limbs together, strapping her muzzle shut and pushing her into something. There were little spines that dug into her flesh- not deep enough to draw blood, but hard enough to further discomfort her. And worse of all was that Quillus was nowhere in sight…

None of the slavers lifted so much as a finger to help the feral bear. None of them really liked each other and anyways it was foolish to step in Putana's way. They'd all seen the results of one of her sacrifices.

"Quillus won't be pleased." The Weeper said as the cage door slammed firmly shut over the tightly-bound bear.

"Pah! The Gods have long since lost faith in that one. That did not stop you from poisoning the flesh you so kindly offered to our Captain." Putana smiled widely. "Do not pretend Weeper."

The leopard laughed slightly, then fixed the amphibian with a hard stare. "Do you think I would use poison to kill someone like him?"

"You did."

"I did not. The flesh was a gift of peace. An apology if you will, for almost cooking his slaves."

"Ha! You think you can fool me? What kind of man calls a bottom a gift? The Gods know all Weeper, and they tell me everything."

"The flesh on the rump is generally regarded as more flavoursome. There are no bones and it is not hard to chew." The Weeper explained patiently. "It is not the hunter's way to stab your tribesmen in the back, irrespective of how delicious they may be. Poison is for maegi."

"Humph, deny it all you wish. I know the truth! And another truth! Crotos Quillus can only _waddle_ without his bear. What kind of a leader is that? Not one the Gods favour. I beseech you now. Let us strike him down where he sits and feed him to them!"

"If we kill him, who's Captain?" Asked the gharial, chewing thoughtfully on what was once a collar bone.

"The Gods have shown us he who holds the right to rule. The Weeper is strong and mighty. A good combination-"

"I do not keep your Gods witch." The leopard said coldly. "Mine are old and true and do not change their minds on every whim. I will have no part in this treachery."

Putana was thunderstruck! Noone insulted her Gods like that and got away with it! But, she had tolerated blasphemy from Quillus, she could handle the Weeper's. "I didn't know you were so loyal. Especially to that... That blasphemous pig!"

"I am not loyal." The Weeper corrected. "Go ahead, overthrow him. But do not expect me to play any part in it."

"Will you accept the responsibility of leadership if the Gods thrust it upon you?" The toad demanded.

After a pause, the leopard nodded.

Immediately, the other slavers got to their feet and snatched up weapons of every kind.

"Alright. Let's make him squeal! I'm sick of that guy taking twice that 'equally divided' share coz of his dumb bear and fat ass!" Declared the tiger.

The other slavers shouted out in agreement.

Putana seized her favourite cleaver. "Let's murder him!"

"YEAH!"

"Rip his spines out!"

"YEAH!"

"Sacrifice him to the Gods!"

"Eh, maybe later."

"Another time."

"Not even he deserves that."

"Just murder then?"

"YEAH!"

"I wasn't aware you were all so scared of the Captain." Came Bei's relaxed voice, an edge of steel barely hidden under it. "I thought it was the bear you feared. But here you are. I thought it would take a bit less to handle someone like him. Apparently not."

"Don't get in our way Bei!" Warned a langur, nursing a club.

"If anyone is killing Quillus it should be your ringleader. And she should do it _herself_."

"What kind of nonsense is this!?" Demanded Putana at once. "What hellspawn beseeched you to speak these words?"

"Honour." Was the black-furred mammal's firm reply. "One on one's fair. Twelve on one isn't." She expanded her fan. "Perhaps two on twelve is… shall we find out?"

Most slavers had seen Bei do battle, and the rest were not willing to face her alone. All sat down.

Putana spat. "When I'm done with the oaf you're next!" With that final threat the toad advanced menacingly towards the former Captain's tent.

* * *

 _Footnote: This chapter has quite a lot of stuff to break down. So without further ado..._

 _Surya possesses people... Surprise? He did it twice in the original and then I dropped it completely and yeah... But here it's an interesting subplot methinks._

 _Now for the nitty gritty. If you recall in Chapter Seven, after all the kids are kidnapped, Surya notes his 'squashed in a corner' sensation and a paragraph is dedidaded to that. In the same chapter a passing mention is made to Licky behaving oddly. This is because she's got a literal fox (or rather his subconscious) stuck in her head. He wakes up, Quillus gets into a confrontation with the Weeper and it's business as usual with Licky._

 _Possession is brought up again in the previous chapter. So Surya panics and describes leaving his body as 'fainting'. The Weeper is the closest person to him at the time and so he latches on. The Weeper's mind is under duress due to the forest's latent abilities and surprised by the panic-ridden fox's mental attack. Through the Weeper's taller form (which feels different on the right and left coz of those burn scars) he rescues Jamal._

 _However when he sees his body, Surya panics and wakes up. The Weeper then tries to kill him for revenge, but is stopped by Quillus and Licky. The nosebleed the Weeper has is a nod to this (coz mental durress often leads to nosebleeds both in fiction and real life)._

 _Of course *how* Surya has this is only going to be implied in this fic. It'll be properly explained later on in another story most likely. Sigh. C'est La Vie._

 _Just a point I'd like to underline. Licky isn't aware she betrayed Quillus in any way shape or form. She honestly just ate the meat out of instinct (bears are onmnivores) and then got a bit feral and lashed out at him. So don't hate on the feral bear._

 _Next time we get some action and the reveal of Bei's species. Not exactly the biggest mystery but one I look forwards to unveiling nonetheless... Final gueses come here... Though I think the result may surprise you..._


	16. Life Sets Things Up

Three of the four jackals (for nothing seemed able to wrongfoot Shade) and half the bandits (for Splintnose was in alternating bouts of extreme pain and total euphoria- not only had his sweetheart saved his life, but she was now holding him. _Tenderly_ even!) stared at the cooked boar with nothing but horror. The raiders lay around the camp, massaging full stomachs and licking lips. A whimpering feral bear was bound tightly and stuffed unceremoniously into a cage several sizes too small. (Most likely they were saving her for dinner). None of the children were in sight.

"P-please tell me that's not Jamal." Tian Yi's voice was so low it was practically a whisper. She pointed at the half-eaten remains of charred flesh that hung pathetically from a stake.

"Nah." Sanjay managed to confirm. Under his messy excuse for fur his skin had gone as white as paper. "Jamal's smaller…"

"Okay." Dianbo was sweating, but was otherwise alright. He had never faced cannibals before, and it was unfortunate that they hadn't managed to save the boar but it was also imperative that they get the children to safety, now moreso than ever.

"Tian Yi, stay here with these two. Me, Shade and-"

A grin crept up on Sanjay's pale face, wordlessly informing his brother that he was going to take part in the rescue irrespective of what he said.

"Me, Shade and Sanjay will sneak in and get the kids. We'll be back soon but if something goes wrong, stay _hidden_."

She nodded and without further communication the three jackals slunk into the camp- unnoticed by the lightly-sleeping gang of slavers.

* * *

A few minutes later Greeneyes saw what lay before him now. A chance at escape like no other! It was perfect. His captors were occupied, potential assailants were all dead to the world. Stiffling a totally evil laugh, the wolf backed away from the scene. He made it an entire foot away from Tian Yi and Splintnose. He spun round and found himself face to face with what an ordinary eye would think was a vine- but he alone knew was in fact a snake!

Which was why he screamed. Very, very loudly.

* * *

Most of the tents were bare. A blanket or two flung upon the ground, dirty clothes here and there. A weapon or two but no children.

"I'm no hygiene freak myself." Sanjay sniffed uncomfortably at a blanket that had been left to dry on a rack. He regretted doing so when he found it more pungent than one of his stinkbombs. "But these guys make me look like one of those beauty models."

"What to speak of the rest of us then?"

Confusion made Sanjay's head spin. "Did Shade make a joke or is he subconsciously sassy?"

Dianbo did not answer that question. Both because it was a 'Sanjay' question and because he didn't know the answer. "The kids aren't here." He said with a frown. All there was was dirty underwear, none of which was big enough to hide the missing children.

"Alright. Next tent." Sanjay poked his head out slightly, nodded to signal the coast was clear and then all three tip-toed to the next tent.

They got about halfway when a loud scream shattered the silence around the camp.

* * *

Greeneyes stopped screaming abruptly, when he realized that he was, in fact, being confronted with harmless vines.

Tian Yi was staring at him, her mouth wide open. Even Splintnose shook his head at the lupine.

"What did you do?"

* * *

The slavers were on their feet, weapons drawn.

Dianbo drew his whip. Sanjay waved. "'Sup guys? Don't mind us we're just passing throu-"

"Hey!" Snapped a club-wielding langur. "That's that jackal from the village! The one who dhokla'd the Weeper!"

"My reputation precedes me." Sanjay chuckled. He then withdrew a paintbrush. "I'd be more than happy to give you an autograph." He paused and leaned in, in what was probably meant to be a threatening way. "Across your face."

Dianbo rolled his eyes, and tapping his foot impatiently upon the ground, scowled. "Where are the kids?"

The Weeper pulled his spear from the ground. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Shade drew his blades. "This is Archeon, and this is Lethe. You will get out of their way and ours or you'll learn the hard way that the ground draws blood more slowly than water."

"You gave your swords names?"

The black jackal ignored Dianbo's frowning face.

"Well I did give my feathers names, so it's not like I can blame you." Mimicking Shade's expressionless face as much as physically possible, Sanjay spoke in the same tone, withdrawing two feathers. "This is Sir Laughs-A-Lot and this is Twitchy. You will get out of their way or they will empty your bladder." Sanjay sniggered and elbowed Dianbo in the side. "Go on! You threaten them!"

"I don't do threats."

"C'mon! How about-" Here he scowled and looking very much like Dianbo, continued. '"Now watch me whip!'? Or 'this is my whip, I shall lash you with it now', or how about 'this is my scowl, you had best get out of it's way before I grow grumpier!'"

"You sound _nothing_ like me." Was Dianbo's indignant response.

A burly tiger who wore the flayed skin of the dead boar, pointed at the jackal. "How about 'my whip is long and slender'-"

"Enough talk." Bei grunted, interrupting what would no doubt have been a bad joke. She threw open her fan. "Let's fight."

And fight they did.

* * *

"And I just keep getting left in the dirt! I don't even try to get people to dislike me, they just do! And it's not f-a-a-a-air."

The kids were at a complete loss for words. A ranting slaver was one thing- but a crying one was quite another. Ravi hadn't thought that far ahead and stirred guiltily as once again Ganga was reduced to wiping away someone else's tears, though thankfully Quillus had provided a new handkerchief.

"First there was my p-a-a-a-arents and they- they ditched me when I was f-i-i-i-ive!"

The porcupine blew hard into the already-filthy cloth and took a few more deep breaths. For half a second he was silent, but then he exploded into fresh sobs. If he was saying anything now (and honestly the kids weren't sure) it was impossible to understand.

"Nice one Ravi." Muttered Jamal.

The tiger cub opened and closed his mouth. Guilty or not, how was any of this his fault!?

"My parents ditched me too." Blacktooth confided. "Me and my brother have been raised by grandma ever since they jumped off a cliff." He nodded wisely. "There was probably something shiny at the bottom."

There was a long, awkward pause wherein everyone who could, stared at Blacktooth with a raised eyebrow.

"So, what do your parents do?" He asked.

"Me and Surya's parents do mostly housework. I mean, there are a lot of us. But our uncle sells papadums… and everything else he can get his paws on."

"My parents think grandma gives me too much sweets." Jamal said with a frown.

"My grandma makes sweets too!" Squeaked Blacktooth, over the din of Quillus' sobbing. Apparently the porcupine didn't have a grandma.

"Dude, his grandma owns a sweet shop." Said Ravi, giggling at the look of awe on the salivating sable's face.

"I would very much like to visit it one day."

"My parents are tailors… and I'm allergic to dye." Ganga said.

"That sucks." Quillus muttered, wiping his nose along his wristfur now. The porcupine tossed aside the now snot-covered handkerchief.

"Tell me about it." The young elephant agreed.

"My parents." Said Putana grandly, as she walked into the tent, cleaver scraping the ground menacingly behind her. "Were sacrificed to the Gods upon my appointment as High Priestess. I did it myself, and you should all be thankful, for if I had not done so a great calamity would have befallen all of animalkind!"

"What do you want?" Quillus growled, standing up so that- despite his very red eyes, he could still put up some semblance of leadership.

"A sacrifice!" The toad said, and there was a smile on her face that made the porcupine shudder. "One that may not please the Gods as my parents' did, but one that shall please me!"

She was staring at him with a cold hunger that suited the Weeper's face better.

"G-get out!" He demanded, growing increasingly worried by the way she kept coming closer.

"You Crotos Quillus! The gods want _you!"_

"M-me?" He half-squeaked, half-gulped and hoped desperately that Licky would come soon. It was easier to be brave on top of her. Then he remembered she probably hated him. Maybe she always had...

"Yes you! Your small brain, soft heart, those tiny reproductive organs you're so proud of, your overly large stomach- even that rump of yours. Only the Gods know why they want what they want and how to put them to good use. But one thing is clear. They desire _you_!"

All pretense of bravery or leadership forgotten the porcupine screamed. "Licky!"

Laughing madly, the toad hurled the cleaver over her head, so that it flew towards the porcupine with deadly intent. Crotos Quillus screwed his eyes shut, hoping the long overdue ending to his miserable life was quick.

But the Prophet wasn't a sharpshooter, and instead of vertically bisecting her former Captain, she had hit the pole to which all the slaves were tied to. She had also torn off an inch of rope, so that Blacktooth and Secrat fell into the dirt. The fat sable had plenty of padding, and so was entirely unharmed. The she-wolf on the other paw, hit a dirty handkerchief nose-first. The shock brought her back to her senses, not that she had any idea what was going on.

She sniffed at the handkerchief and found that it was covered in something slimy. Batting it aside, she caught sight of something very strange. A pudgy porcupine was waddling away as a crazy-looking toad chased after him with a large knife she had more-or-less pulled out of thin air. A group of what looked like kids but could also be minuscule grownups, watched on in shock. Then Secrat felt anger rush through her when she recognised the toad as someone she needed to get revenge on. Inside her head, she heard Greeneyes scream and remembered that the large wolf was probably dead by now because of that same toad. Mourn him Secrat would not, avenge him, she would. And not only Greeneyes! But also her own precious painted nails. With a roar of rage that shook the whole tent, the she-wolf went for the kill.

* * *

 _Footnote: Yeah, I know I said a big fight was coming up… but I didn't do all the setting up for it. I had to choose between giving you guys one large fight-chapter, but decided to stick to my preferred (and usual) style of multiple chapters. It's still a big fight, but I needed a bit more setting up before I could get to it. A bit more of the kids, some laughs, a hint at Quillus' backstory (to be expanded on later!) And next time, action!_

 _Regarding Quillus' breakdown, I think it's fair to say that perhaps I took it a little beyond what's realistic- but knowing what he's been through, Licky's 'betrayal' triggered a lot of usually ignored/surpressed emotions. More on that later (I'm saying that a lot these days)._


	17. Life Is An Action Packed Forest Brawl

"I have a question." Shade parried a thrust aimed at his face, and brought the hilt of his sword into his opponent's exposed ribcage.

"Ask away." Grunted Dianbo, landing a flying roundhouse kick to the side of a gharial's face.

"Since we've been forced into this confrontation, might it not be easier to dispatch our present assailants permanently?"

"For the last time." Said Sanjay, familiarising a raider's toes with Twitchy. "We are not going Jumbo on these guys."

"As you wish." Shade brought the flats of his blades hard into a rushing slaver's stomach- winding him. One shove later and the gibbon was out for the count.

A langur tore towards Dianbo with a simian screech. He raised a club and for a second thought he looked like the legendary Hanuman (in truth, he didn't). The jackal's whip freed the weapon from the primate's grip, and a quick kick freed him from any delusions of grandeur.

Humbled, though not yet out for the count, the slaver did a backflip. It would have been more impressive if he hadn't slipped on a conveniently placed banana peel (courtesy of Sanjay) and landed on his rump. Dianbo's fly-kick sent him flying into the smoking remains of the dead boar, which the dazed simian promptly tried to use as a weapon. The dialect of Indian the slaver swore in was unknown to Dianbo. But he knew that 'dog' had been used at least twice, amongst, no doubt, more vulgar vocabulary. A roundhouse kick sent the carcass flying into the river.

Deprived of his makeshift weapon (and leftovers he'd been hoping to savour for dinner) the langur beat his chest in a show of rage. A simple leg sweep, followed swiftly with a stomp put an end to that. Leaving his stunned opponent behind, Dianbo scanned the area around him in search of any sign of the children.

From a tent at the edge of the camp burst forth a pudgy porcupine, the mad toad priestess and the she-wolf bandit from earlier… this country made no sense.

Shade was handling the raiders with ease, there was no surprise there, and Sanjay was participating in a successful three on one. While his brothers kept the raiders at bay, Dianbo resolved to find the children.

Bei swung her fan wide, aiming for the back of the prankster's head, but the jackal managed to duck in time. His other opponents were not as quick, and were promptly disarmed. Stunned at their sudden lack of weaponry, the slavers made easy targets for Sanjay. A whoppee cushion went down one pair of pants, while a belt was plucked from another. Darting between them (and thus avoiding a low, sweeping blow of Bei's fan) Sanjay kicked both rumps simultaneously, so that one apparently farted, and the other fell over, unable to pick his pants up in time.

Seriously annoyed, Bei shoved the whoppee-d one aside and attempted to cut Sanjay in half. She might have succeeded had another slaver not fly-kicked the jackal. The tiger aimed a fist at Sanjay, who rolled to the side. Another fist blocked his path, but the jackal swapped directions and rolled out between the tiger's legs. Bei was waiting with a backhand, and the feline he'd just escaped lashed out with what could have been a knock-out blow… had Sanjay not been avoiding such knock-out blows since age ten. The slavers' attacks caught the other upon the cheek. Bei stumbled slightly, while the tiger was sent hurtling head-over-heels.

By the time the black-furred mammal recovered, her opponent had already moved on to another victim- who's armpit was now becoming intimate with Sir Laughs-A-Lot.

Dianbo found the next few tents were also empty. Upon exiting the fifth one (filled with dirty underwear and rotten mangoes to boot), the jackal caught the butt of a bone spear in his stomach. Winded, the jackal was promptly floored by the Weeper's next swing. Ignoring the blood that now came pouring out of a long gash on his cheek, the canine rolled backwards so that the polearm stabbed into the ground.

The leopard gave him no respite and using his weapon as a pivot, brought both feet firmly against the jackal's face. Dianbo was sent flying out the tent, where he collided roughly with a running porcupine.

The Prophet, who had at that moment pounced at the former slave captain, missed her lunge and hit a tree- which Secrat promptly crashed into.

Dianbo threw his whip forwards and simultaneously used his glass paw to shove Quillus (who's spines had lodged themselves uncomfortably around his backside) off of him.

The Weeper blocked the whip with the butt of his spear. Bringing his weapon round the leopard jabbed forwards, but Dianbo managed to sidestep the blow. Jamming one foot under the groaning porcupine's form (so as to avoid his spines as much as possible), Dianbo kicked the smaller mammal into the air- much like one would with a ball. But he was not done yet, and turned on the spot to deliver a powerful roundhouse kick that caught his target on the belly.

Despite the flab, the slaver was winded, and flew backwards with the speed of a crossbow bolt. The Weeper narrowly dodged his curled up form- which crashed into a tent.

Although neither combatant noticed (for they were too busy doing battle), the tent came crashing down around the porcupine due to both Quillus' weight and his momentum.

The Weeper swung low so that Dianbo was forced to jump. The jackal retaliated quickly. His whip shot forwards and wrapped around the feline's foot. The jackal pulled and the Weeper was forced to kneel- which left his face open for a roundhouse kick.

The leopard caught the blow against a swifty raised paw-pad, and gripped hard at the jackal's foot. Ignoring the kick Dianbo sent his way (which made blood shoot out his nose) the hunter twisted his whole form and threw the comparatively smaller mammal into a tree. Winded, the jackal could only watch as the feline charged forwards, spear raised.

One of Shade's blades parried the incoming blow, forcing the spear of bone into the ground- an inch away from Dianbo's feet. The other blade went for the Weeper's head, but the feline managed to step out of the way in time.

Both paused, searching for any sign of weakness in their opponents. Dianbo got to his feet, and Shade gave the smallest of nods.

Deciding that this was probably Shade for 'I've got this', the sandy-orange jackal continued his search for the kids. Then the white feline, and the dark-furred canine attacked.

Raising his spear again, the leopard jabbed forwards, aiming for Shade's eyes. The black jackal, however, must have been fond of them, for he caught the spear with the sides of his swords and twisted it, so that the sharpened bone tore through nothing but dirt. Spinning forwards he brought a hilt down on the leopard's spine, before kicking him roughly away.

To his surprise (not that he showed it or anything, that would've been very unlike him), the Weeper was not yet out of fight and spun suddenly, bringing the spear round with him. The bone slashed the black jackal across the chest. There was extreme pain for a few seconds, but the wound healed almost instantly.

"Maegi." Hissed the leopard, rolling to his feet. He stabbed forwards, aiming for Shade's head, but the canine blocked this advance. Changing tack, the Weeper caught him in the stomach with the blunt end of his spear, before bringing the hard shaft of bone down upon Shade's back. Raising his spear again he brought it down upon the jackal's exposed back. There was a sickening crunch, the horrible sound of flesh being ripped through, and then Shade lay upon the ground, pinned to the dirt by a spear of bone.

"SHADE!" Tickle-torture momentarily forgotten, Sanjay barreled into the Weeper's side. Despite his relative lack of weight, he brought enough force with him to push the leopard off his feet. "Shade are you alright! C'mon speak to me! Please don't be dead!"

"I'm fine." Aside from a microscopic increase in his rate of breathing (almost unnoticeable to the untrained ear), and the spear sticking him to the ground- Shade looked just the same as ever.

"You don't look fine!" The prankster countered, for once not entirely joking. "Hang in there, okay? And whatever you do, don't go towards the light!"

Shade pushed himself to his paws, ignoring the way Sanjay's jaw dropped. The part of the spear he'd slid free of, was covered in blood. "Like I said, I'm fine. Now dodge."

Sanjay obeyed and narrowly avoided the leopard's outstretched claws. His response was to hurl a jar of ink at his opponent's face- and ducking under another swipe, painted an eye-patch over his eye. "It's a small improvement." Sanjay said, with the air of an art critic. "But it's an improvement nonethele-"

This time he'd been too slow to dodge. Grabbing Sanjay by the neck, the Weeper slammed the prankster hard against a tree. The jackal yelped in pain. Raising his paw, claws outstretched, the leopard prepared to reap bloody retribution upon his opponent.

Dianbo's whip did not let him, and while his opponent was distracted, Sanjay struck, and raised a knee. Normally the codes of combat spoke against aiming bellow the belt. But Sanjay had never truly abided by them anyways.

While the Weeper hissed in pain, his grip on Sanjay's throat slightly relinquished, Dianbo came from behind and swept the leopard's feet out from under him. The feline was flat on his back, and Sanjay- although in an opportune position to tickle him, chose to bring all his weight down upon his opponent. He achieved this by jumping on him.

By now Shade had dragged himself halfway through the spear, so that it forced him to bend over rather than kiss the ground. Blood slithered down bone, but the black jackal was still unphased.

Sanjay and Dianbo had more pressing matters in the form of Bei's fast approaching disc. The pair ducked low, but were not in the clear yet, for a fat branch had been neatly sliced through and now came falling to where they stood. Both jackals managed to get out of the way, not so the Weeper. The leopard had been on the verge of total recovery, but instead of being rewarded with more air, got what equated to a small tree knocking the wind out of him.

Now Bei was upon the pair in all her roaring glory. Catching her large disc upon it's return trip she spun it back into war-fan form and swung wide. The canines backed away from her increasingly violent swings, and ended up edging uncomfortably close to the river. A quick glance backwards confirmed that it was full of hungry fishes- the school of flesh-eaters having been brought to the scene by the boar's carcass.

Sanjay hurled a water bomb at her. Bei didn't quite manage to dodge the projectile, which caught her squarely on the forehead. Little trickles of what could have been black ink ran down her face and around her left eye. If he wasn't busy narrowly avoiding a premature decapitation, Sanjay would have spotted a small patch of white fur.

Dianbo kicked the bear-feline black-furred mammal thing (whatever she was) hard in the stomach, but was backhanded roughly away. Rolling to his feet he was forced to flatten himself upon the ground again for Bei had hurled the disc once more. It tore through low branches throughout the jungle, raining wood and vines and snakes down upon the camp. The jackal flipped back onto his feet and raised his glass paw to intercept Bei's incoming fist. The glass shattered and broke upon the ground. Dianbo was unharmed, but his opponent now had small pieces of glass sticking out of her bleeding fist.

Sanjay came from behind and aimed for her belt, but found that she wore none. He also found his wrist firmly caught in her vice-like grip.

With a roar of rage Bei hurled the jackal into his half-brother. She caught her returning disc, switched it back into a fan and raised it to deliver the finishing blow of their battle.

To everyone's surprise Greeneyes came barreling out of the trees with a wolf-like howl of victory. Bei spun on her heel and caught the wolf's fist. The bandit gulped, loosing all courage, but Dianbo had spotted an opportunity. Tossing one end of his whip at Sanjay, the pair proceeded to hold it taut.

Greeneyes brought his shoulder into Bei's chest, and she teetered backwards. A final elbow to the back of the knee (courtesy of Sanjay) and with a great splash Bei the Black fell into the roaring river.

Panting, and breathing sighs of relief, the jackals helped each other to their feet.

Upon breaking the surface of the water, Bei's form had been set upon by the waiting fish. The water had gone black then, but judging from the bubbles Bei was still fighting for her life beneath it.

"Yeah!" Greeneyes shouted smugly. "That's why you don't mess with the boss! In case it's not clear- _I'm_ the boss!"

The black shape in the water continued struggling, until with a gasp, Bei's black and white head emerged from the raging river. She tore a large fish from her leg, and with unprecedented savagery, freed head from body.

All three canines watched in stunned horror as Bei dragged herself back from the brink of a watery grave.

The fact that his, admittedly formidable, opponent survived the river was not what surprised Dianbo. It was the white colouration of her face, save for the black ears and the round masks around her rage-filled eyes. Despite her lean physique, and the berserk-like rage that made the water around her steam there was no denying the fact.

Bei was a panda.

* * *

 _Footnote: An action-packed chapter for you and regarding Bei._

 _She's a Panda! Bet you didn't see *that* coming! I mean I didn't make it obvious or anything but there were a few hints to her and her backstory. For example when the Weeper says something along the lines of 'Is it so hard to believe that sometimes we can get chased out of our homes?' this hints at Bei's backstory._

 _One thing that was a bit out of place was her name. All of the Indian people (Sanjay, Putana and the kids) have got Indian names, people from abroad or low-lives have got non-native names (who calls a baby Blacktooth anyways?) and people from China (Dianbo, Tian Yi, Bei) have got Chinese names._

 _Of course she's not your normal panda and her lack of fat (plus the fact that she dyes her fur black- as expressly stated by Ganga in one chapter) gives the impression of a feline or very lean bear. Another little 'confirmation' that she is wearing dye is when the slavers all cross the river. Quillus is carried through it in the mouth of his bear, the Weeper wades through it and Bei jumps from rock to rock (of course… it could be read as cats having an aversion to water)_

 _Also I deliberately made her quote Po's dream line 'Enough talk, let's fight' in the previous chapter as some kind of pseudo last-minute foreshadowing._

 _Quite subtle methinks._

 _The 'why' she's the way she is shall be explained later on, but I hoped you enjoyed this surprise regardless. Some fun guesses were thrown around. A black panther was kind of kajjynegna's ideal red herring I think. But the idea of her being a black penguin was certainly not bad either XD_

 _You'll probably read her in a completely different way now… but I suppose that's the point of a twist. Though I'm not entirely sure if it counts as a twist (since her species doesn't affect the plot) More like a 'reveal'? Not sure. Regardless I hope you enjoyed the combat. There shall be more of that next time._

 _I should probably also get around to explaining how her disc/war fan functions as a frisbee. I mean obviously real-world physics doesn't always apply in my world (coz cartoon physics is more fun sometimes…)._

 _Also, I will address what Shade does (and what he is) more clearly in subsequent chapters but for now it should suffice to think like the Weeper and call him just maegi (magical being), with regenerative abilities. You probably remember this from last time, but if not it explains how he crawls out of the river unharmed despite deliberately acting as bait back when Splintnose got his ass chewed (literally). It also explains why he's so hard to impress (like when Greeneyes pounced on him and he just looks bored) but like I said above, more on that later._


	18. Life Is A Fight For Survival

Dripping wet and with beads of black dye trickling down her form, snarling in anger as she splashed through the shallows, Bei looked like something out of a nightmare.

Dianbo was nothing less than stunned by the truth of his opponent- after all pandas were native to China, and although he had never met one, had a reputation for kindness, compassion and good cooking. Of course pandas were also extremely rare, and the jackal had been pretty sure he'd never end up encountering one.

Yet here he was, facing down what looked like the angriest panda in the history of their kind.

Sanjay, who had no idea what a panda was and was therefore entirely unphased that his opponent had seemingly changed species, tried to lighten the tension. "If water turned her into that… when do you think's the last time she had a bath?"

* * *

It occurred to Ravi that now was the best time to escape. From what Ganga could hear with her literally elephantine ears a small battle was raging on outside. They were alone in the tent and Blacktooth was free.

Unfortunately the sable was also fat and didn't seem to possess enough strength to push himself to his feet.

"Come on Blacktooth!"

"You can do it!"

"Yeah, I believe in you!"

Despite the encouragement of all present, the bandit fell, panting, on his stomach. "I- I can't! It's too difficult! Usually my-" _pant_ "-brother helps me. Forget me! Get to safety! Save yourselves! Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just need to-" _pant_ "-catch my-" _pant_ "-breath."

"Well we're tied to a pole so we can't go anywhere." Was Padma's deadpanned reply.

"Try rolling onto your back." Advised Jamal. "And sitting up. Sit-ups are easier than push-ups."

"Okay. I can do that. Yeah. I can do that." And so he rolled onto his back.

* * *

Crotos Quillus was a groaning tangle of spines and fabric- an easy target for Putana, who advanced with menace. She forgot entirely about Secrat- who was determined to get revenge now. The she-wolf kicked the smaller animal into a tree, and advanced with menace of her own. The Prophet's knife had been knocked free of her slimy fingers, and there was nothing stopping the lupine from gutting her intended target.

Of course Secrat had read one too many epics and was determined to smite down her enemy using poetry as well as her fists. "Veda means knowledge. All knowledge rests in the Vedas. Including the knowledge of pain and how to cause it-"

While the she-wolf released verse after verse on her personal philosophy on how to violently disembowel opponents, the Prophet caught sight of her slaves and fellow toads.

"Help me!" She hissed.

The amphibians all seemed determined to avoid her gaze now.

"Help me or be sacrificed!"

They charged forwards now, in numbers the she-wolf could not hope to match. Yet Secrat gave a valiant effort. Snatching at a nearby vine (which was in fact a snake, but she'd never learned the difference) she swung it in a wide arc around her, scattering toads left and right. It was an effective technique (in part because her assailants knew the difference between a vine a snake and thus kept well out of her way) until the snake twisted back and bit her in the paw.

The she-wolf fell instantly and with impressive speed the snake slithered away.

Putana rose to her feet. "Save this one, she shall make a fine slave!" Quillus could wait. The Gods wanted money now.

* * *

Bei was not in a good mood. As soon as she was back on the bank she set upon her opponents with more savagery than before. Dianbo and Sanjay were quick enough and smart enough to get out of her way, Green-eyes… not so much.

The wolf had responded to her arrival as a direct threat to his role as alpha bandit and unwisely tried to strike her down. The panda backhanded him hard, before his fist had even made contact with her. The wolf fell upon the ground with a yelp, but before Bei could strike, Dianbo's whip and someone else's belt (Sanjay did not remember which slaver he'd 'borrowed' it from) each held back an arm. This did not save Green-eyes. The panda bent forwards, and bit down on the lupine's side. The bandit screamed and both jackals watched in horror as he was raised above her head, his whole form violently shaken in her jaws of death. Twisting wildly, she suddenly let go and flung the wolf's form at Sanjay.

Next, Bei turned to Dianbo, her muzzle caked in blood, her teeth dripping red. She lurched forwards and swung madly. Dianbo dodged but the tree could not and bark flew off in splinters. The jackal threw his whip around one leg and pulled, so that Bei fell to one knee.

Then he went into the attack, his feet a blur as they repeatedly slammed into her face.

Ignoring the pain, she swung forwards, and although he managed to avoid her claws- his vest could not and was subsequently torn. Bei was on her feet now, and grabbed hold of the whip still attached to her foot. Wrenching it from Dianbo's grip she tossed the weapon aside and advanced, paws clenched into fists.

Devoid of his weapon of choice, Dianbo backed away hastily from her increasingly violent swings. He landed a kick, but it had no effect upon the berserker.

As Bei's fist narrowly missed his ear, Dianbo siezed his opportunity. A small run up and a leap, followed by a twist in mid-air planted him upon her shoulders- his legs wrapped firmly around her neck. Now he twisted, so that Bei stumbled- balance forgotten- and crashed into a tree.

Ignoring all pain, however, the panda used this to her advantage. She stumbled backwards, before suddenly bending forwards so that Dianbo's face became acquainted with the hard wood. Once, twice, thrice, and then she swung her neck round and back again. Dianbo keeled over and fell upon the ground, his chest searing.

Bei stomped down on him- so that blood squirted out his nose. But she did not stop there. Working on bloodlust alone, she snatched one of his legs and pulled him off his feet. Dianbo tried to scramble away, but there was no escape- the battle was lost.

Instead of tearing him apart however, Bei 'merely' slammed him into a tree. He supposed that was preferable. The panda then stalked off to deal with a rising Sanjay.

Gritting his teeth, and ignoring the pain in his chest, Dianbo used the tree to pull himself back up.

By now Bei had recovered her fan, and spun round. The gust of wind winded him and all balance was lost. The jackal fell to the ground, all out of fight.

Sanjay dashed forwards and- more or less out of effective tricks- leapt onto the slaver's back and wrapped his arms around her neck.

Ignoring the prankster for the time being, Bei expanded her war fan till it was a disc. Then she flung it at the trees with all her might, so that one fell, then another, then a third, till timber came crashing down upon the camp with avengeance. Dianbo was promptly buried under a pile of wood thick enough to crush a bear.

Momentarily stunned by Bei's display of strength, Sanjay's grip slackened.

* * *

Meanwhile amongst the children, Blacktooth was trying to do a sit-up. "Come on!"

"You touch those toes man!"

"Yeah! Sit properly, you can do it!"

Just as Blacktooth was on the verge of sitting up and reaching his tiny little toes, his muscles failed him, and he hit the ground once more. "I can't!" The black-furred sable whined. "I can't do it!"

Suddenly, the children fell from the poll and onto the ground. Ganga was the only one on her feet, having used her trunk to untie the knot.

"Alright guys. We're going home."

"Well that was abrupt." Jamal coughed, spitting dirt out his mouth.

Surya and Ravi helped Blacktooth to his feet and all advanced resolutely towards the exit. Unfortunately- by some miracle (or rather villainous concoction) trees fell onto the tent from all sides- neatly encompassing the wannabee jailbreakers.

* * *

Shade fell to the ground without a sound, having finally dragged himself free of the spear of bone- which now looked like it had just been ripped free of an unfortunate animal. The black jackal pulled himself to his feet just as trees began to fall upon the camp- and more urgently, just as the Weeper struck.

Sharp claws tore open his back- but without even flinching, Shade spun on his heel and replied with a slash of his own. The Weeper's scarred side earned a few more scars now, but the leopard ignored them and swung back with dizzying speed. The jackal's lower jaw cracked at an ungodly angle, but Shade did not miss a beat and slammed both palms into the feline's gut, winding him. A kick knocked the Weeper off his feet. Pausing only to reset his jaw, Shade scanned the ground for his swords.

Yet before he could find any trace of them, The Weeper held him in a chokehold, his feet no longer touching the ground. His grip was tight and crushed Shade's throat. Not that the jackal seemed particularly bothered by this. By suddenly lifting his knees he shifted his weight. The Weeper, unprepared for this manouever, stumbled and fell forwards. As soon as the jackal's feet made contact with the ground he used the leopard's momentum against him- neatly flipping him onto his back. Not missing a beat, the black jackal raised a leg and brought it down upon the feline's unprotected face.

Snarling through the blood that filled his mouth, the feline rolled forwards. Using the same momentum, he managed to get to his feet. He whirled around and tore open the black jackal's chest- Shade replied with a punch of his own that knocked loose a tooth. Spitting out the missing canine, the Weeper replied with a headbutt. While Shade was thus dazed the feline lifted him off the ground and threw him as far as he could. The jackal landed on his neck- any other animal would have been killed or at the very least paralyzed. But Shade was not an ordinary animal, and was on his feet in no time.

Yet the Weeper still did not despair. Although his opponent was magic, the leopard was stronger. Devoid of his swords this maegi would be easy pickings. He pounced and pinned the jackal to the ground. His paws tightened around the canine's throat and his claws dug into the flesh. With a tremendous effort the throat was ripped free- yet no sooner had the Weeper done this then he was thrown off and new flesh was growing in it's place.

Magic was so utterly unfair.

* * *

With unparalleled brutality Bei wrenched Sanjay off her back. The beatdown was short and to the point and unnecessarily brutal. A foot to the stomach. Winded. Tossed into a tree. Bruised. Punched repeatedly until his face was bloody. Bloody-faced. Hurled away with a roar. Well, he was getting used to that at this point.

The jackal pushed himself to his feet and searched desperately through his pockets. Effective though they were against lackeys and low-lives (and pretty much everyone else he'd ever had to fight), Bei required more than a whoppee cushion. And thus he found his secret weapon. To be used only in the case of extreme emergency- which this seemed to be now. Dianbo was out of the fight, so was Green-eyes, Shade was nowhere to be seen, Splintnose was already out of commission and Tian Yi… was probably hiding somewhere.

That was why he decided to unleash the most potent 'weapon' amongst his collection.

A small, round phial, of skunk stink. Skunks were a rare sight- especially in India, but due to some clever haggling (and twenty five rupees) he had managed to acquire it.

Plunging a piece of cloth firmly up his nostrils he raised the phial.

"Say hello, to my little friend!" He would have rounded it off with an epic 'skunk stink, I choose you', but Bei was getting too close for comfort.

The effect was almost instantaneous. The phial hit the ground, shattered, and released a small cloud of gas- as if it was a noxious green smokebomb.

Bei wretched and clamped her paws over her nose- her face gradually turning as green as the stink.

For a few moments it looked like she was about to throw-up, even faint. It must have stunk to high heaven, for even Sanjay had gone a little green.

Unfortunately, Bei (although she had never dealt with skunks before) had lived with a pack of stinking slavers for the past few years, and was well versed with having her nostrils assaulted. The panda charged forwards suddenly, and ripped the cloth free of Sanjay's nose.

Sanjay lacked hygiene, that much was true, he didn't exactly stink but couldn't remember the last time he'd showered either. But this was something else, a stench so rotten, so foul, so… so… putrid… the jackal clamped his paws over his nose, but Bei would not let him get away so easily. She slammed a fist into his gut so that the jackal doubled over in pain. Grabbing him by the scruff of the neck she hurled him at the remains of his stink phial.

Shards of glass dug into his muzzle. Briefly he smelled blood, but then a more powerful, more potent and far worse smell filled his nose.

As Bei's foot came crashing down upon his spine Sanjay had enough time to make a mental note that whenever this crazy adventure was over (hopefully soon) he was going to get his stinking paws on copious amounts of soap.

* * *

Putana admired her work. The wolf had lost some blood and chunks of flesh were no longer part of her paw- but she would live and be sold and then Putana would be rich. If she died afterwards it was none of the toad's concern.

A cry of pain alerted her to the Weeper- who Shade had caught with an effective roundhouse kick. The two were duelling directly over the river now- on a tree branch Bei's war fan had felled earlier. And the Weeper was loosing. Although his grip on the trunk was better, he had less limbs to block with, and as such his opponent was raining down blow after blow.

"Save him!" Putana cried.

"B-b-but he's over the river." One pointed out.

"So!? Save him or be sacrificed you stupid slaves!"

Shade was frightening, and not wanting to die, the toads refused to obey.

Snarling, Putana rose to her feet and lifting the cleaver above her head, charged forwards.

Shade slammed a fist hard into the Weeper's side. The feline lost balance and slipped. His claws were firmly rooted to the trunk and refused to let go- but his feet hit the water. The fish returned with avengeance, eager for the leopard's blood. He kicked one away, but two more leapt up from the waters in reply and dug fangs as sharp as glass into his legs. He could see a larger shape in the water, one that was coming ever closer and looked distinctly crocodilian… his sister had been killed by such things…

Shade stooped over, digging his own claws into the leopard's paws.

"Today is not the day the Gods take you Weeper!" Putana hurled the cleaver and it spun through the air towards it's target. She'd been aiming for the jackal's head, but the weapon had instead lodged itself deep into his chest.

Siezing his opportunity, the Weeper lifted himself onto the trunk, and with a particularly violent swing threw his opponent into the water.

But Shade was made of tough stuff and managed to grab hold of a small overhanging branch before he hit the water. Before he could pull himself back onto the trunk however, a massive pair of crocodilian jaws had snapped shut around his chest. There was a loud crunch and an equally loud splash and soon the apex predator was swimming downriver- leaving a trail of blood in it's wake. The last, Putana hoped, she would ever see of Shade. And judging from the way the red water seemed to smile at her, the Gods no doubt still favoured her.

* * *

Bei tossed Sanjay's prone form next to the smouldering remains of the camp fire. Annoying though he was, the jackal was still alive. The Fighting Pits always wanted foreign flesh, the jackal would serve nicely.

The other slavers were coming back to their senses now with loud groans and many a bruise.

Quillus was wrestling with a blanket that had gotten itself stuck to his spines. Busy as he was with trying to free himself, he failed to notice Putana creeping up behind him, a wide smile on her face. The toad hopped forwards, knife at the ready, just as Quillus bent over. The Prophet's scream attracted much attention. Dropping the knife, Putana stared in horror at the quills sticking out of her face.

"What did you do to me!?"

The porcupine- who by now had resigned himself to being wrapped up in a tent flap- turned to glare at her and nearly fell over trying to do so. "Alright Putana. You've asked for it. Mutiny, I can handle. Treachery, just another Tuesday! But trying to _sacrifice_ me? That's the last straw." Clutching at all remaining dignity Crotos Quillus stood up straight. "Licky!" Nothing answered him. "Licky!" Again there was no reply. "LICKY! This isn't _funny_!" Fear began to creep in. Why was she suddenly so antisocial? Perhaps she was ill… or hated his guts. But they'd been together for years, what had he done now? "Licky!" There was a note of panic in his voice now. This couldn't be happenning. Not again! "Please!" The note became a whine. He needed that bear.

Silence answered him- until he heard a whimper. Horror flooded through him at the sight of his bear, bound, gagged and stuffed in a cage. "L-licky? W-wha- Who did this to you?" The porcupine tried to go to her, but spinning round somehow made the tent cloth tighten round his feet. He fell over- unable to save his face from the mud it landed on.

Putana, noticing her audience- for by now all present were watching with interest- spoke in her loud voice- the one she reserved for big speeches, sermons, ceremonies and the like. "Does this _thing_ lead you? This bad-tempered atheist? This blasphemous wretch? This mud-soaked pig?" The toad strolled over to where he struggled with his bindings, and carefully rolled him onto his back- spines would not get in her way this time. She kicked him hard in the stomach, and despite the flab and the tent-wrap, winded him. "He is not even fit to be sacrificed!"

"So what do we do with him?" Asked Bei, slinging her war fan back into place.

"You won't do anything!" Quillus snapped. "You're going to feed this frog to the fishes and- oooph!" The Prophet had kicked him again.

"We could roast him over a fire." Suggested the gharial. "He's pretty fat."

"Fine!" Agreed the tiger- simultaneously itching his chest for some reason. "But I want his spines. They'll make fine armour."

"Don't be stupid." Snapped Bei. "Keep eating meat and you'll end up eaten."

"I don't believe in karma." Scoffed another slaver.

"We'll sell him." Decided the Weeper, forcing the porcupine to stand so that he could more easily and thoroughly bind him.

"S-sell me? Y-you can't! I-I'm-"

"In charge?" The leopard asked, a smug look on his face.

Some of the slavers laughed, and Quillus had never felt more frightened.

"N-no! _You_ can lead! I don't care, j-just d-d-don't-"

"I thought there was nothing to cry about? Do not fear. You'll stay alive until we get to Ashtar. After that, well, none of my business is it?"

Now all the slavers were laughing. One strolled over and kicked his bound and helpless form into the dirt.

"Put him with the others." The Weeper commanded, turning his back on his former leader.

"As you command… Captain."

"C'mon guys! Y-you know me! I wouldn't make a good slave- b-barely any profit."

"Except we don't have to share with you and your bear anymore, so more money for us."

"B-bu- I! Guys! You, monkey, I bought you lunch that one time remember! A-and you, the t-tiger, y-you invited me to that funeral once! W-Weeper I-" His plea would have perhaps been more effective had he actually remembered any of their names. "Bei! B-Bei I- I- I hired you!"

The panda shrugged.

"Don't worry." The tiger said, unbuckling his belt to gag the porcupine with it. "I'll be at your funeral."

Dignity forgotten the porcupine burst into tears. "P-p-please!" The belt was tightened around his muzzle, and Quillus was shoved roughly to the ground.

At that moment Blacktooth's claws succeeded in tearing the tent cloth apart, and all the children burst from it- expecting a clear shot at escape. Instead they found the entire camp staring at them.

"How nice of you to join us." Bei growled.

The rotund sable raised his paws into the air. "I surrender!"

The children were quick to follow in his footsteps.

* * *

 _Footnote: As predicted earlier on, things shall get worse before they get better. Of course this is probably the low-point of the fic as a whole. Sanjay has been captured, Shade has been swept away, Dianbo knocked out. And amongst the villains Quillus has been overthrown and the Weeper has taken over the band of slavers._

 _Yet, I think I managed to successfully contrast the two extremes of my fight scenes here. Shade and the Weeper- the brutal side- Sanjay and Bei the funny aside. Albeit the brutal side of it. Oh well, I like the variety._

 _And I know skunks aren't native to Asia but I already have about three in China so yeah… plus I don't know that many other 'naturally scented' animals, 'ferret musk' doesn't have the same amount of… shall we say charm? Recognisability? Plus it was either the skunk phial (extremely rare in this part of the world but of course someone like Sanjay would want to get his paws on it) or Bei brutalising him… and I kind of need him for later on (plus not sure how nice it is to brutally murder someone else's character… or if I'm allowed to do that… nor whether I want to do that). As for how Bei didn't loose consciousness while Sanjay did… well canines have (I think) better noses than pandas so of course it was going to be worse for him. Hoisted by his own perank. (Spelling mistake deliberate)._

 _Also yes, I know that skunk stink is more like skunk spray, but Skunk Fu and Fanfic Physics mean that in my world it's as it's more commonly portrayed (a gas- colours vary) rather than the technically accurate semi-liquid substance._

 _Also I think I'm pushing the T-rating a little bit here (especially in the fight with Shade. I don't think it's enough to really bother anyone (and aren't teenagers like the ones who watch uber-violent stuff anyways?) but at the same time if this story has earned an M-rating I'll change it if it's necessary._


	19. Life Is A Dream

Dianbo did not remember anything. His chest hurt, his stumped-arm hurt. Really everything hurt and moving was proving difficult. Yet that made no sense, since all he could see was Master Flying Rhino smirking down at him. No ropes bound him. No chains ensnared him. Yet he was frozen still, staring at a Master he knew to be dead.

"You asked if I wanted to learn Kung Fu." The jackal groaned. One question… one question had truly changed the whole course of his life.

The rhino smiled ever wider. "I did. And remember, you said yes."

* * *

 _Dianbo did not want to get out of bed. Not because he was a slob who liked sleeping in, but because his paw hurt. His paw hurt and he felt ashamed._

 _Of course, noone would ever know that the events of the previous afternoon had ever happened, but even so, he doubted he'd ever be able to live the thought of it down._

 _Really it was the tree branch's fault. He'd been relying on it to keep him out of sight since age ten, and finally, after two and a half years, it had snapped… literally._

 _The ground was hard- or maybe he'd just hit it hard- and his angle was awkward. There was pain of course, but nothing he couldn't handle. Mostly he was just dazed._

 _The legendary Master Flying Rhino had, of course, heard the sound. The hearing of Kung Fu Masters was almost always legendary. He spun on his heel, prepared to rain down pain on this uninvited newcomer (if the need arose- and after a lifetime of battles he knew full well that the need arose rather often), but found that they were already incapacitated._

 _A young jackal- no doubt from one of the nearby villages. Unarmed and apparently in pain._

 _Frowning slightly and lowering his great staff, he strolled over and helped the pup to his feet. Or rather lifted him clear off the ground without any visible effort._

 _"Kid, you know this is private property right?"_

 _The jackal still seemed dazed, and seeing as he was both incapable and most likely unwilling to do any harm, the rhino hung him by the vest onto an ironwood coat hanger (one specifically designed to hold up much, much heavier armour)._

 _Although his manner of arrival was perhaps not the best of first impressions and although the now-broken tree branch was more comfortable than being held up by a coat rack, it was also the most in-depth view of Kung Fu he'd ever seen._

 _The forms! The twirling staff! The legendary kicks and punches- all from a position his peers would both laugh at and envy._

 _Master Flying Rhino went through his pre-training warmup. A few forms with one or two kicks and punches added for 'oomph'. A few jabs of the staff, light spinning, and by the time he was done his uninvited guests was staring at him with awe. The awe a lifetime of fanboys had taught him to be wary of._

 _All that Kung Fu and he's not even sweating. Thought the jackal. Dianbo on the other paw was sweating. Profusely. It wasn't a particularly hot day and he was technically built for the heat but he doubted anyone in his position wouldn't already be drenched. Or they'd have fainted. Yeah, some of his peers would definitely have fainted._

 _"Kid, what are you doing here?" His voice seemed relaxed, but there was the hint of a trace of annoyance. Of course spying was wrong. Dianbo should have known better._

 _"Well, er- I-I-"_

 _Inwardly the rhino breathed a sigh of relief. Stutterers rarely had the nerve to be stalkers… or demand to be sidekicks… or try and pull body parts off…_

 _"I… came to watch you… train."_

 _The answer seemed honest. Or the jackal's acting was legendary but that most likely wasn't the case. The rhino took him off the rack and placed him upon the ground._

 _"So you like Kung Fu?"_

 _Now that he wasn't suspended in the air the jackal felt the need to scratch at the back of his neck. "Well yeah… I guess. I mean… I don't really know it but… er- well I've seen you do it."_

 _At this Master Flying Rhino cocked his head to the side. "You've been up in that tree for how long?"_

 _"Um… a year and a half?" It had been longer but that wasn't really something Dianbo wanted to admit._

 _"Mhmm…" The rhino seemed to be looking over him… or he was trying to figure out the best place to plant his massive staff. After what seemed like a generation of awkward silence but was in fact about ten seconds, the young jackal mustered up the courage to speak._

 _"Am I in trouble?"_

 _The Kung Fu Master seemed to mull this over for a little while before answering. "I suppose I should tell your parents about this but no harm, no foul. So if you want, none of this ever happened."_

 _"Right. Okay. Er- I guess I'll go home then." Dianbo turned away, eager to put all of that awkwardness behind him._

 _"Well I was about to let the dummies loose, but if you don't want to see that I can understand."_

 _Dianbo stopped and did a hundred and eighty degree turn. "So I can stay?"_

 _"Sure. I'll even let you hit one. Just hold this for a second." Casually, he tossed over his staff. The legendary ironwood of Master Flying Rhino himself landed firmly in Dianbo's paws and the jackal nearly fell over catching it. It wasn't too far-fetched a guess to say that it weighed more than himself._

 _Then out came the dummies. And Master Flying Rhino, with dizzying speed and precision, obliterated each and every one of them- so that by the time he was done nothing remained of them but broken chunks of wood._

 _Dianbo, despite the fact that a few splinters had only very narrowly missed him, was in total awe._

 _Which quickly turned into nervousness when the Grandmaster pointed at the sole remaining dummy, a small wooden one shaped like an overgrown beetle._

 _"Alright kid, let's see what you got."_

 _"Um…" Dianbo rubbed at his wrists. "Well… I don't really know… how to…"_

 _"Can you do this?" The rhino held up a fist._

 _Dianbo copied it as best he could. It probably looked utterly pathetic next to the Master's own, but Flying Rhino nodded his approval._

 _"Now take a look at this guy. He's been rude to everyone you know and love. Now, arm back-"_

 _Dianbo pulled his arm back- ready to take out the dummy for swearing at his mother!_

 _"And swing with your arm and your chest. All that raw muscle. Do the motion."_

 _Dianbo repeatedly punched at thin air until the Kung Fu Master nodded and put him down next to the dummy._

 _"Nothing fancy. Just give it your best shot."_

 _And that Dianbo did. The excitement of the evening, the Kung Fu, the action, the broken dummies… it had all clouded his judgement. And forgetting that his paws were useless and his bones brittle, Dianbo struck._

 _There was a defeaning crack and Dianbo hollered in pain, waving his paw about in the air. His paw was red and throbbing now and Master Flying Rhino was more confused then ever._

 _Ashamed about everything- his entrance, the awkwardness, and above all the stupid punching, Dianbo shot from the place faster than a firework, ignoring Master Flying Rhino's call of 'Hey kid…'_

 _The rhino watched in surprise as the young jackal raced away- already halfway to the village below. "What… the… fuck…" He rubbed his forehead slightly. "Why are kids so confusing?"_

 _Eventually though he managed to muster the courage to roll out of bed. His paw still hurt but his mother had been too ill to notice the previous night. Deciding he'd make her some soup, Dianbo pushed open the door._

 _"Ah! There he is! Just the man I wanted to see!" Master Flying Rhino was… making breakfast?_

 _"H-hi." The jackal replied, his eyes darting to his mother. Deathly pale, as always, yet she was beaming so widely and her eyes were full of pride. Instinctively, Dianbo put his paw behind his back._

 _"You know Master Flying Rhino, of course."_

 _"We've met." Dianbo replied sullenly. There was no way out of this now. He was going to get into trouble._

 _"Don't think I've had the pleasure. I take it, this is Dianbo?"_

 _"Y-yes this is Dianbo. Normally he doesn't really sleep-in-"_

 _"School." The Kung Fu Master said knowledgeably. He threw the totally-befuddled Dianbo a wink._

 _"Er- yeah- homework, g-got tired." Awkwardly he scratched the back of his neck._

 _"Well Dianbo, you have quite an interesting background. Brittle paws, Indian, your dad's a famous warrior apparently. Recently I've been looking for an apprentice of sorts. And you fit the bill."_

 _"I-I do?"_

 _"I'm so proud of you!" His mother squealed, unable to contain herself. Kung Fu Masters practically ruled China._

 _"So kid, what'd you say? You want to learn Kung Fu?"_

 _His own excitement, the pride on his mother's face, even the rhino's sly smile, what was he supposed to say to all of that? "Yes!" He threw his paws up in celebration, and heard his mother gasp at the sight of his swollen paw._

 _"Dianbo! What on earth? Look at your paw!"_

 _Master Flying Rhino and his future apprentice shared a look and it became apparent that what went on in the dojo, stayed in the dojo._

* * *

"Like I was going to say anything else in front of her." Dianbo snapped dryly.

"You still said it. Now wake up. You're dreaming." Master Flying Rhino flicked his nose and, almost instantly, Dianbo awoke to a world of pain.

* * *

 _Footnote: A memory within the dream of a memory within a dream/hallucination/otherworldly visit within Dianbo's head. Probably the trippiest thing I've ever written... Might have even set a record..._

 _Why write this? You ask. Well several reasons. One, because Master Flying Rhino is fun. Two, because Dianbo as a kid is fun. Three because the main characters of my other House of Tamod Sequels (Li I, Han Guan, Jiao'ao and Saras (upcoming for the latter two) all have got flashbacks but Village Champion didn't really have any of those, so I kinda wanted to put in one or two of them._

 _Plus I kind of need a few hours to pass in-story, so it was either loose this wonderful opportunity for a flashback and make a timeskip or show what Tian Yi was up to... And bandaging Green-eyes paw takes a bit less of a precedent over flashback dreams_ _._

 _So yeah... I daresay the action shall recommence soon enough anyways..._


	20. Not All Life Occurs In The Present

Dianbo awoke with a gasp, his chest burning as if someone had unwisely decided to fill it with burning coals. Reality all came flooding back to him, the panda, the fighting… the beatdown he'd received. He sat up abruptly. The jungle was darker than ever, yet light glowed from somewhere to his left.

Tian Yi sat miserably by a pathetic fire, staring into the dull, crackling flames the old vines provided. Splintnose was rubbing his rump, trying and failing to find a comfortable way to sit on his wounded backside, needless to say he was not having much success in this endeavour.

Green-eyes came from the the forest and dumped two armfuls of dead branches over the fire. For a few seconds the flames tried to get a grip on the new wood, before perishing under the weight.

"Nice one Green." Splintnose spat.

"Shut up." The wolf snapped, kicking at the wood until he found a hot vine. Then he screamed for he'd burned his foot.

"If you're going to scream, do it quieter." Dianbo complained, walking over. "I assume we didn't get the kids out?"

Tian Yi did the smallest of nods. "And… they took Sanjay. And a crocodile… got Shade." She rubbed at her wrists. "This rescue mission's not going too well, is it?"

Dianbo rubbed at his face and groaned. "I think that's putting it lightly."

"We should just give up." Green-eyes whined. "Revenge can wait."

"My bro can't!" Splintnose shot back, making a valiant effort at getting to his feet. He succeeded, but failed to maintain balance and fell on his rump. An almost defeaning whimper errupted from him.

Dianbo cracked his remaining knuckles against his stump. "Neither can ours. Come on, if we hurry Shade might still be alive." Falling into the river was an almost fatal sentence, but the black jackal seemed too tough somehow, for a death as simple as that.

For some reason his companions seemed unwilling to accompany him now.

"The slavers are already gone." Dianbo pointed out. "They must be going straight for Ashtar… wherever that is. But if we hurry we can catch up to them. Shade said to follow the river."

Noone moved. Splintnose was most likely in too much pain to register anything and the other two seemed to be deliberately avoiding eye contact.

"It's dark." The wolf complained finally. "I'm scared of the dark."

Dianbo scowled. "It's not going to get any lighter, now get up."

"And I'm scared of everything." Tian Yi kicked a stray branch away.

"Then why come on a rescue mission?" The jackal demanded. To think he'd arrived in Upma only the previous day…

"Because I don't want to be!" She snapped. Then she snapped a twig. "Not that that helps with anything." She sighed. "When I lived in China I wasn't allowed out the house. Everything was dangerous, nothing was safe. Then mom passed and I couldn't pay the rent. Besides her and the landlord and the tutor I had never seen another animal. Didn't even know what blood looked like till she was gone. It got better but there was a time when my own shadow kept me awake at night."

"So you want to be brave?"

"Well… not scared…"

"Then grab those." He pointed at Shade's pair of blades and scanned along the ground in search of his whip. "You can grab him." He pointed from Green-eyes to Splintnose. "And we follow the river."

"But I-"

"You can walk next to the river or you can swim in it. The choice is yours wolf." Threats had never been his strong point, but speaking the truth wasn't truly a threat, now was it?

That was the end of the discussion. Although Green-eyes did it begrudgingly, and the blades were heavy in Tian Yi's paws, the two did as they were bid. Leaving the remains of the fire behind, the group continued onwards.

It was not long before they found Shade, and contrary to most expectations, he was still alive and fighting.

It was the most gruesome sight Dianbo had ever laid eyes on. So much blood, both warm and cold, had spilt upon the ground that the battlefield had turned into a mudbath. Three of the reptiles were tearing at the jackal's thrashing flesh, jaws locked over his arms and legs and torso. Every twist tore flesh from bone, yet it grew back before more could be ripped free, so the jackal was still more or less whole.

Green-eyes shoved Splintnose into Dianbo's arms, turned around and hurled out the remains of his last meal, Tian Yi looked fainter than ever and even Dianbo could do nothing but stare at the horrific scene.

"Okay. We should help him." The jackal finally said, upon recovering from the initial surprise. Needless to say, recovery alone took him about twenty minutes. "Green-eyes, we need a diversion."

"A diversion? I'm not going to be used as bait, thanks! Use Splintnose."

"He can't run." Interjected Tian Yi.

"You can be the bait then!" The wolf snapped.

"She's my sister." Dianbo scowled.

"But why am I the bait?" Whined the wolf.

"Because we'd be back in Upma by now, safe and sound, if you didn't swing like an idiot and scream while we were sneaking through the slave camp."

"Fine." The wolf huffed. "But next time, Splintnose's the bait."

The crocodiles had not eaten so much in years. Sure their prey still thrashed, but despite it's small size, each had eaten roughly an elephant's weight in meat.

Their evening meal however, was rudely interrupted by the arrival of another prey animal. Larger than the first and no doubt full of protein. It was making a lot of strange noises and doing paw gestures, but all the apex predators saw was another meal- one that could probably last them a couple of months!

Green-eyes screamed as, Shade forgotten, the reptiles shot towards him, frighteningly fast both on land and water.

Dianbo rushed towards where Shade lay in the mud, and found that the black jackal, despite having nothing left below his navel, had yet to look even slightly more invested in their current situation.

"What took you so long?"

Dianbo was now more annoyed than anything. "I got buried by trees."

"Anyone else would be dead in my position." Whether he was bragging, stating a fact, or simply underlining why he'd asked the first question, Dianbo could not say. Shade was as ever, an enigma.

 _"What_ are you?" Dianbo had to ask. Nothing else could have survived getting torn in half.

"I figured you'd ask that."

"Well, I think I can see your kidneys."

Shade sighed. "What I am is not important."

"But we want to know." Tian Yi pointed out.

The black jackal sighed resignedly, and seeing no harm could befall him (rather literally) began his tale of woe. "I'm not entirely sure how I came upon this form, but I am a demon."

"A demon?" Now Dianbo was skeptical. He'd seen some crazy stuff over the years, that much was true. But weren't demons mostly mythological? "Like with horns? And the spiky tails? Lives in a volcano? Red skin?"

"Not all of us are red." The jackal said, frowning slightly. "Or have skin. Shadows are more in fashion these days."

"Shadows?"

"Do you think I'm joking?" He pointed at his legs- which had once more begun growing. "You said it yourself, you've seen my kidneys. Anyways, many years ago I was merely going about my day deep in the bowels of Demon Mountain-"

"Couldn't think of a better name?"

Shade ignored the question all three had posed simultaneously.

"And the next, some amateur necromancer was laughing above me. I was bound to this form but not to his will, and when he demanded that I slaughter his neighbours I slaughtered him instead. Ever since then I have been nothing but an unkillable jackal." He said the last two words with so much contempt it was almost laughable.

"You're right, the backstory's not important." Dianbo removed his vest and handed it to him so that the black jackal could cover up his regenerating privates.

A few minutes later Shade was on his feet, the vest wrapped tightly around his middle. "I shall need new clothes." He said, sounding bored- as if getting devoured by crocodiles was as much of a nuisance as a mosquito bite. "I assume the mission was unsuccessful."

"Your brother's very perceptive." Splintnose commented.

"And I want my swords back." Tian Yi duly handed the pair of gladius to their master, who promptly nuzzled them- showing more affection for the inanimate objects than he had ever done with people. Noticing Dianbo's deadpanned look he sheathed them. "Do not use my face against me. Now come, I saw the slavers pass half an hour ago. If we hurry we can catch up to them before they reach their destination."

Dianbo and Tian Yi nodded in agreement, and all three turned to continue their rescue mission. They had gone a considerable distance before Splintnose reminded them of his fellow bandit.

"What about Green-eyes?"

All three jackals sighed and turned back. Some time later they found the wolf high up in a tree, wrestling an anaconda whilst the crocs watched from below, their greedy jaws gaping wide open.

 _This_ rescue was not particularly difficult. A few kicks from Dianbo. A beating from Shade and the ferals ran off to lick their wounds.

"What took you so long!?" The wolf howled, rubbing at a purple neck.

"We forgot about you and continued on our way to rescue the children." Shade replied, without a hint of malice or remorse. "Unfortunately we were reminded of your existence and returned to rescue you. Now hurry, we are wasting precious time."

The wolf looked like he was about to start shouting, but one long look back at his previous 'fight' with Shade told him all he needed to know. Muttering under his breath he followed the quartet.

The rescue mission, while not going too well, was still well under way.

* * *

 _Footnote: Hope you're not disappointed I kind of fast-forwarded past the feral fight, but I don't want to use up all the action just yet. Plenty more of that coming..._

 _These next few chapters are basically the 'where everyone tells their tragic backstories' section of WASOR. It's not exactly a tradition, but at this point I've written so many that it's almost a party game._

 _'I murdered someone'_

 _'My parents never loved me'_

 _'I murdered my parents!'_

 _'I died!'_

 _'I can't die!'_

 _Sidetracking aside: Still, I think the *variety* is what's important with tragic backstories. I don't think I'll touch too much more on Shade but that is basically what he is (irrespective of Dianbo's doubts). Tian Yi's will most likely be brought up again and Dianbo... I'm unsure since a lot is already known about him..._

 _So that leaves Quillus (and Licky), Bei and I guess Sanjay (although calling anything to do with him 'tragic' is probably missing the point of his character)._

 _But all that... For later on..._


	21. A Prickly Life Story

Sanjay woke up to a throbbing headache and an almost useless nose. Unfortunately it wasn't entirely out of service and that left him uncomfortably aware of how much he stunk. Like a skunk. If he wasn't tied to a post on a cart the slavers seemed to have materialized out of nowhere, well he'd have obviously put this to good use. For example by attending a super fancy party, or going on a rickshaw ride to scare off Gurjot's customers.

Instead, the only one's suffering from his plight were the children he'd gone to rescue, the other half of the bandit gang and the ex-slave captain.

Crotos Quillus looked rather pathetic now, bruised purple where some of the slavers had decided to hit him, crow-eyed and thickly bound. It was almost pitiable… indeed Sanjay did pity him. Slightly. Although, this whole thing was also _technically_ his fault.

The kids, he found, were unharmed. Not exactly happy, but with luck they would get back with no permanent scars… apart from perhaps a recurring nightmare or two.

"You stink." Secrat complained.

"And grass is green." Sanjay retorted, his usual grin growing across his face.

"But you smell worse than grass." Blacktooth pointed out, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Sanjay opened his mouth, but found himself at a loss for words. He shrugged in response.

"Can you not sit next to me?" The she-wolf continued to complain. Her own paws bound to her side Secrat could not even clamp her nose shut.

"Hey slavers!" Sanjay shouted. "Can you change the seating plan a bit?"

A langur turned around, apparently considering how to do this, when a firm whack, courtesy of the Weeper, made him ignore the request.

Turning to the glum-looking children, Sanjay gave his most convincing grin. "Don't worry kids. My siblings should get us out in a jiffy. Shade, Dianbo, Tian Yi, you know. They'll go to hell and back before they give up on us. Don't worry, they'll get us out."

They seemed to perk up ever so slightly after that declaration.

Crotos did not. "We're doomed." He whimpered.

"Well you are. I mean, you did kind of start this all-"

"We're _all_ doomed!"

"Stop acting like Jamal!" Ravi snapped, growing frustrated by the constant noise of whining and whimpering and crying.

"Hey!" Complained the aforementioned boar.

"I'm not acting!" The porcupine pointed out, sniffing loudly. "None of you have ever been to Ashtar. You don't know what it's like there."

"Yeah, but I know people." Secrat said darkly. "You bite them, they bleed. Aim for the throats kids. No mercy."

"I can't bite someone." Ganga pointed out, horrified by the very prospect of commiting murder.

"Just smack 'em with that trunk of yours." The wolf said with a shrug. "Or better yet, strangle them."

"Don't." Quillus advised, shaking his head. "You'll only end up dead quicker." He sniffed again. "Just do what they tell you to do. An obedient slave can rise high in the ranks. If you're lucky you might even get freed."

Padma frowned. "But what if they tell you to do something bad?"

"Do it." Quillus insisted. "Whatever they tell you, whenever they tell you. Slaves are valueless, a good one stays alive much longer than a rebel."

"I'd rather go out fighting." The she-wolf insisted. "If I die, I die a free animal. As do we all."

"But I don't want to die." Blacktooth gave voice to the thought in everyone's head.

"Then you're a coward. Go on, live your life for another creature. But know that when I die, I die a great death. You will die and be forgotten, while I will live forever in the stories of this world."

"But you died first." The sable pointed out, confused by Secrat's new, apparently suicidal, nature.

"If we're lucky we won't even get to Ashtar." Sanjay interrupted, determined to keep the conversation away from death. His siblings had better hurry up... "So, let's kill some time chubby. Why become a slavemaster?

The porcupine paused for a while. "Does it matter?" He muttered, avoiding eye contact.

"Okay… er- so Blacktooth how did you become a bandit?"

"Fine!" Quillus snapped, drawing the attention back to himself. He gave a resigned sigh (odd considering he hadn't been pressured into speaking) and began.

"It all started I suppose… the day I turned five."

* * *

 _Quillus was excited! And who wouldn't be? For the past few weeks his parents had been dropping continuous hints of some great surprise for his birthday. A 'once in a lifetime' gift. Something he'd 'never forget'. His young mind had concocted all sorts of possibilities. He did not have any toys, after all his parents were slaves they couldn't buy anything. Unless their master had decided to be nice? The tortoise could be nice… when he wanted to be. But it most likely wasn't a toy. It was probably an exotic kind of food, something to die for._

 _At last the moment came, and his body was filled with more excitement than blood. A flight of stairs, a secret wall and many a dark tunnel lead them to a solitary cell. and His mother was smiling widely at him, while his father stood behind, ready to bring the gift into sight._

 _"Alright son." Said the older porcupine. "You're five years old today. Know what that means?"_

 _"That I'm a big boy?" They had been saying this for ages, so clearly it was the right answer._

 _His parents chuckled._

 _"Close your eyes son."_

 _Quillus obeyed and screwed his eyes shut, expecting anything from sweets to freedom. A heavy metal collar, as cold as ice, was not something he had expected. It clicked around his chubby little neck and sent shivers down his quills. "W-what?" He asked. How was something so heavy a gift?_

 _"Sorry son." His father did not sound sorry at all. In fact, he looked slightly relieved._

 _"Master's orders." His mother said vaguely, relief was clearer on her face._

 _"B-b-but I don't understand. W-what did I do?"_

 _His father chuckled and turned away. "You were born." His mother did not give him any reply._

 _The young porcupine tried to scamper after them, but found he was chained to the wall. It could have been a sick joke, but Quillus panicked anyways. It was dark in the cell. And cold. And the collar was so heavy!_

 _"Hey! W-wait! P-please! Please! Mom! Dad! What did I do? WhatdidIdo!?"_

 _Neither so much as looked back._

 _Quillus sobbed away the rest of his birthday, yet every heavy chain had a lock and every lock could be unlocked._

 _So knew the young wolf known as Vera Darkrose. Older by a decade than the sobbing porcupine, she had seen the same scene countless times before. Sometimes the parents truly had no choice- this was as much their punishment as their children's. No slave could breed without their Master's consent. But often it was a relief. No more child to look after on top of everything else._

 _Picking the lock was not difficult, she had done that too, countless times before._

 _"Hey kid. You okay?"_

 _The she wolf had not expected any response- and received none aside from more sobbing. Carefully, she patted his shoulder. The contact made his quills spike up defensively and pierced the lupine's paw. But Vera had endured pain before._

 _Eventually Crotos Quillus could sob no more, and merely wiped at a snotty nose before growing silent. This, Vera knew, was her cue._

 _"Parental abandonment?"_

 _He did the smallest of nods, his lips quivering._

 _"Been there. Seen that. You may think you're the unluckiest kid in the world right now, but you're not."_

 _The five year old sniffed rather loudly._

 _"It's your birthday isn't it?"_

 _Again he nodded._

 _"Many happy returns."_

 _"Thanks." He mumbled quietly._

 _Taking his much smaller paw in her own, Vera led him further down the labyrinth of dark caves and tunnels that made up Ashtar's undercity… and sewage system. It stunk to high heaven, but the wolf was used to it. Even though his own sense of smell was not as strong as the wolf's, Quillus had gone a delicate green._

 _But at last they arrived at their destination, a sprawling collection of cells lined with blankets and pillows older than him. Children of every species under the sun darted round the place. Tigers were common but there were many species Quillus had never seen before._

 _"Everyone here went through the exact same thing as you." Vera informed him. "They know how you feel. I'm Vera by the way, Vera Darkrose._

 _"Quillus. Crotos Quillus." They shook paws._

 _"Welcome Quillus, to Ashtar's mini-rebellion."_

 _It was not so much a mini-rebellion as it was a survival club. Many members perished often, caught in the act of thievery and sentenced to the fighting pits. Noone ever came out of the fighting pits alive. Yet they were the lucky ones. Sometimes they were caught and never seen again, subjected to all sorts of horrendous things. Yet, Quillus and Vera lived on. Until the porcupine turned thirteen. Then things began to change for the worse- and that wasn't just puberty talking._

 _Youth had gone easy on the porcupine. He was a good deal chubbier than the majority of his peers- many of whom were either twig thin or muscled like a maiden's dream. He was not nearly as tall as most of them either, and was constantly looked down upon (literally). And he stunk- but that was just puberty. But none of that was his biggest problem._

 _Now, Quillus was on his last lifeline. The past three robberies had been an unsuccessful mess- in part due to his inclusion as look-out. Okay, the first time had been his fault- he'd fallen asleep. And the second time he'd accidentally triggered an alarm. The third time, well, he would have been caught if not for an older tiger with more muscles than sense staying back to buy him time to escape._

 _Now his own fate and the tiger's were intertwined. Being sent to the fighting pits was often a death sentence. But this tiger had muscle, right? He could beat some dumb old bear, right?_

 _The dumb old bear in question had been the Champion of Ashtar's greatest pit for decades, but the young tiger was a tough one and fought with the desperation only possessed by one with years of surviving Ashtar behind him. Had he known how to use a sword, he surely would have been the victor._

 _As it was the bear lurched forwards suddenly, it's own mace and shield forgotten, and tore feline face from feline body through the strength of jaws alone._

 _Okay, he was dead._

 _Now nervousness filled the porcupine, who with deliberate slowness made his way back to the undercity. Everyone had said it was his fault, even Vera and she was his only friend. Three good thieves, dead because of him. Guilt, did not nag at him of course, it wasn't his fault he'd fallen asleep- in fact the chicken who'd been caught was to blame for that, curse his constant squawking! He hadn't meant to hit the alarm, and the boar it had caught had always liked picking on him anyways. As for the tiger, well Crotos Quillus had never asked him to be stupid and brave._

 _By now he was back at the camp, and all eyes were on him._

 _The porcupine opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again when he spotted the other tigers of their gang glaring at him._

 _"He's dead isn't he?" Came Vera's voice. She sounded grim. The she-wolf was a full twenty-three now. Already fully grown and quite a beauty. If she didn't live in a sewer she could have been a princess. Or a queen._

 _"Y-yeah, hehe. The old bear… chewed his face off." The nervous chuckle was perhaps, not his best move but it seemed to ease some of the tension._

 _"He was a good man." Vera said sadly. She gave the smallest of nods to the tigers before continuing. "And he was useful. Brought in more food than anyone else."_

 _"Yeah, we're starting to run low Vera." Hissed an aardvark named Inkling. Not that he knew what he was. Everyone thought he was a mutated pig or a scale-less pangolin. The fact that he was covered head to toe in tattoos of some kind did not help._

 _Vera nodded at him and frowning slightly, the aardvark handed Quillus half a slice of bread._

 _The porcupine, still eyeing the tigers with worry (for it looked like they were about to pounce on him at any moment) accepted the bread and without any hesitation, swallowed it whole. Seeing as the issue was not likely to be addressed, Quillus brought it up. "So er- am I gonna get punished or…?" He trailed off and gave another nervous chuckle. "It's just that hehe, you guys all said it was my fault and er- well- you're not out for me are you?"_

 _"Oh we very much are." The aardvark replied bluntly. "Should have checked for poison you fat idiot."_

 _The next thing Crotos Quillus remembered was an auction. Two slavers, both in control of a great fighting pit, were bidding ever higher for a particularly plump slave. They were bidding for Quillus._

 _"Eighty-five!"_

 _"Ninety-five!"_

 _"A hundred and five!"_

 _It would have been funny. Two rival slavers, fighting tooth and claw for one pudgy porcupine. Hilarious even. If not for the fact that he was the pudgy porcupine._

 _"Three hundred and seventy five for that plump little shit!" Shouted one, an overweight rhino who had no right to call anyone plump._

 _The other, an equally wide boar, banged his fist against a wall and turned away- unable to bid any higher._

 _"Sold!" Cried the slaver, and with a jolt Quillus realized that it was one of the tigers. He tried to scream, to plead, to beg… to pinch himself out of this nightmare, but there was no escape, he was pinned to a board like a slab of dung, and gagged. The rhino grinned and handed over the money._

 _"Keep him here for now, gotta clear up some of the cells first. I'll pick him up at sunrise."_

 _"As you wish." Agreed the tiger, and ignoring the porcupine's attempts at eye contact, closed up shop._

 _Quillus woke up again, and found his gag had been removed._

 _"Can't believe someone actually payed for him."_

 _"Oh, you know slavers, they'd pay for anything if you sell it the right way."_

 _Three voices burst into laughter and as they came closer Quillus saw their faces._

 _A burly tiger, much like the one his lack of skill had sentenced to death. The aardvark, chuckling at the terror painted all over his face. And Vera, also smiling but with a kind of sadness to it._

 _"Guys!" Quillus whispered desperately. "Guys please! What did I do? What did I do!?" He'd asked his parents the same question. They hadn't even glanced backwards. "Please! You know I didn't want them dead. I-it was an accident! P-p-lease guys!" His begging came to a halt when all three began laughing._

 _"How dumb are you fatty? We're not gonna stop selling you!"_

 _"B-bu-b-but-"_

 _Vera raised a paw, silencing her sniggering companions and ending his blubbering. "I'm sorry Quillus. But it's true. For the past eight years you've been the least productive member of our team. No problems with that, but your stupidity cost us three good friends and that's not something we can forgive easily."_

 _"But-"_

 _The tiger marched forwards and pinched his stomach between two claws. Quillus writhed pathetically in pain._

 _"You should already be dead." He said, twisting the porcupine's fat. "Fat little runt."_

 _Quillus was crying now. "Stop! Stop! Please! That hurts."_

 _"Let him go." Vera commanded and the tiger relented, before storming away._

 _"Goodbye Quillus. I guess you weren't totally useless. Three hundred and seventy five caesars. You'll be feeding us for months." The aardvark chuckled. "You'll be feeding the old bear soon too. Crotos Quillus. Feeding the hungry." Laughing uproariously, the long-nose pig-pangolin (aardvark) walked away._

 _"Vera." The porcupine pleaded helplessly with the she-wolf, her figure already blurred by the wetness of his eyes. "Please."_

 _The wolf shook her head. "So long kid."_

 _"Vera! Vera come back!" He exploded into tears now. "Ple-e-e-ase!" But like his parents, and every dipshit that had ever lived in Ashtar, the she-wolf didn't care enough to turn around._

 _He spent the next few days being transferred from one filthy cell to the next. When a dismal little one was chosen for him he was more or less abandoned. Three meals a day. Each the same. A bowl of western beans with an eastern sweet. If his hunger had allowed it he'd have just eaten the sweet but then there'd be no end to his stomach's gurgling._

 _He was fast asleep one evening, when there came a roaring and a rattle of chains and two bickering voices._

 _"Chief said put her at the back!"_

 _"You drag this thing all the way there! Look, here's an empty cell, shove her in here."_

 _Quillus' cell was not empty, but neither noticed the porcupine. The slavers were wrestling with a bear. She was young, perhaps no older than him, yet fought with a brutality that was so animalistic it wasn't animal. A thick collar was bound to her neck- heavier than the one he'd been given, yet of the same make. Thick and cold and fixed to a chain._

 _One slaver attached the chain firmly to one end of the wall, while the other kept the bear's jaws from snapping shut over him._

 _"Okay it's done! The bitch's tied, now let's get out of here."_

 _The bear was shoved to the ground and both slavers darted out the cell. The feral beast followed, but instead of flesh, was met with nothing but iron bars. For a while she beat at them and Quillus was scared to move. She must have caught his scent, for suddenly she turned and roared. The sound echoed around the little cell and sent saliva flying. As the bear came charging, the porcupine retreated to a corner. He was not as fast as the ursine, but the chain held her back so she could not bring her jaws down over him. An inch, just one more inch and he'd have been bear food. The feral continued to try and reach him, stretching out her tongue, her paws, her claws- all to their greatest length. But the porcupine evaded her. Pressed into a cold corner he had about a foot to move around in. His heart pattered wildly, but relaxed when the bear lost interest in him and went to pacing round her own territory._

 _Terrified, he did not leave his corner, nor did he let sleep take him. He had enough nightmares to deal with in the daytime- to say nothing of potentially waking up inside a bear's stomach._

 _For the most part, his new cellmate ignored him, but if he put so much as one toe in her line of attack she would come darting forwards as fast as a hungry predator._

 _His meal came again the next morning- now delivered between the bars. The bear sniffed the air and turned to him._

 _"Y-you hungry?" Quillus swallowed, but that sound was muted out by her defeaning roar. Charging forwards she was lurched backwards suddenly by the chain. Even though the young porcupine was safely out of reach, he was terrified. Forgetting his own hunger, he placed the bowl down upon the floor and slid it slowly within reach of her paws. They snatched it away as fast as a lightning bolt and the dull meal was devoured in milliseconds. The bear roared, still hungry and kept thrashing about._

 _"I haven't got any more." Quillus whimpered._

 _The next meal was the same, as was the one after that. The bear ate his meager portion of food while he went hungry._

 _"I need to eat too." He whined as she lapped up his third breakfast. The bear stopped suddenly, and licking her chops clean, proceeded to use her snout to roll over a dust-coated Indian sweet into his range. "Th-thanks."_

 _She was more bearable by the fourth day, and shoved back the bowl of half-eaten food for him to eat his fill. Or rather to pick at in search of beans not covered in drool._

 _That night sleep finally conquered Quillus. It was bitterly cold both in his dream and in his cell and the porcupine shivered pathetically. He was awoken by an immense weight being pressed on his knees, and found the young bear had finally broken the chain. Despite his initial fear he found that he liked the warmth her larger form provided. Gently, he itched the fur around her ear and the whole bear purred. Still terrified, but no longer shivering, he managed a nervous chuckle._

 _"Hehe, you like that don't you?"_

 _The next morning they shared breakfast and Quillus was in a better mood than he had been in a long time. His new friend was not exactly a wordsmith, but she was a good listener and he spent the whole morning narrating the events of his life to her. Simultaneously, he tried to remove the weighted collar, but found that his chubby little fingers were not particularly good at picking locks._

 _"So turns out Vera was an asshole." There came a satisfying click and then the collar came free. The bear moaned in satisfaction and shivered in relief. Turning slightly, she dragged her tongue across his whole body. "You're welcome I guess." He replied, wiping away at the saliva. With a fondness he did not remember feeling for anyone, he proceeded to itch at her ear. "Say… I should probably give you a name. 'Bear' is kind of lame. What do you want to be called?"_

 _The tongue once more soaked his fur in saliva._

 _"Spit? Tongue? Licks?" Disgruntled, he wiped his face dry. Then he grinned, having landed upon the perfect name. "How about Licky?"_

 _As if in reply, the bear did what she did best, and although he was covered in slime and in the presence of a terrifying predator, he laughed a genuine laugh that was not nervous in the slightest. "Licky it is then!"_

 _The next few days were the best in Quillus' life. No longer interested in ripping him apart, Licky proved herself to be a great friend. Or at least a closer companion than he'd ever had. His parents had always been busy with work, and had never loved him anyways. Vera had been better, but looking back the wolf had always kept him at arm's length. Perhaps it had been their difference in years, after all she had been too busy robbing and raiding to play with him back when he was a kid, and had only distanced herself further from him when the time came for him to do his own robbing. Licky, although she knew nothing about personal space, or how hard her saliva was to rub off, or how much she weighed, was someone he could truly confide in and trust. And even if she did hate him, she didn't know enough words to spill his secrets. He strongly suspected that she was incapable of speech._

 _"I don't know why it keeps happening to me. I mean, I don't try to get people to hate me. They just do! And I can't help my height, or the spines, or my weight or…" He sighed and itched idly at her ear. "Even you wanted to kill me."_

 _The bear nuzzled him, an act of kindness that- due to differences in size, weight and strength- winded him._

 _"I know you don't want to now." He wheezed, sucking air back into his depleted lungs. "I was just saying people are hard. I don't know what they expect from a guy like me. I guess you only expect lunch."_

 _The bear shook her head and gave him another affectionate lick. All things considered it was probably the most affection he'd ever received. His parents had faked it, Vera had only been nice because she wanted to use him._

 _"You're just being nice now." He chided, but he found that all worries and insecurities seemed almost trivial when next to her. It was easy to be brave._

 _The good days, however, soon came to an end. Eventually the pit owner realized that his new feral was sharing a cell with a slave he'd payed a lot of money for (and now regretted buying). The rhino raced down to the holding places, expecting to find a full bear and a porcupine's carcass. Instead he found his slave trying to stand atop the ursine's head. He kept falling over, but each time he did, the bear put him back. It was almost cute, but the slavemaster was not a fan of cute. Blood and guts reeled in the crowds, not cuteness. This was Ashtar, not a circus! He found himself glaring at the porcupine- who had fallen off again. If the other slavers could see him now…_

 _The good days came to an end. Quillus did not know why, but he was moved to another cell on another floor. Despite the fact that he had all the meals to himself he found he couldn't eat anything. He no longer had to sleep with a tremendous weight on top of him, but could not sleep anyways. He was lonely and miserable and wanted nothing more than to go back to his only true friend the bear… if she was still alive._

 _Then the day came, the day he'd been dreading since his arrival in the pits. He would have to fight. He had seen all the fights of his previous 'rebels' and knew that his life was forfeit. What did it matter that he had spines? That he was clad head to toe in thick plate? That the dagger he'd been given was as sharp as broken glass. He did not know how to fight and the armour made him slower. If a visor was lowered he couldn't even see._

 _"Alright." The asshole rhino said with a grin. "I payed good money for you. Could have bought three better slaves for that price. Maybe even four. But I think you'll love the irony of your death. Go on kid. Give them a good show." The rhino pulled him in close. "And when you die, don't forget to scream. The crowds love that shit."_

 _Quillus whimpered and opened his mouth to beg, but the visor was slammed shut and he was thrown roughly into an arena. The force of his landing threw sand into his armour, leaving him coughing and spluttering and blind. The crowd laughed, one big jeering laugh that nearly made him cry. Or perhaps it was just the sand in his eyes. He shoved himself to his feet and put his paws to the sides of the helmet. A hard tug freed his head._

 _Those that could see that he was crying laughed ever harder._

 _"And his opponent! All the way from the Northern Mountains! A feral bear!"_

 _Quillus swallowed heavily and picked up the dagger. A bear. He was fighting a bear. But as the gate opposite him came creaking open he realized with a horrible sinking in his stomach that it was not just any bear. It was Licky. The bear roared loudly and the crowd cheered, already calling for his blood._

 _The dagger fell from his grip and the porcupine fell to the ground in a tightly curled ball- or as tightly curled as the armour allowed him to be, and sobbed pathetically. He did not want to die, let alone at the paws of his friend._

 _Licky was standing over him now. He could feel her shadow, protecting him from the hot sun. Then her claws were seeking out the gaps in the armour and tearing it off of him piece by piece._

 _He was shaking now, too scared to even beg. The final piece of plate came free, and despite the pair of black pants he wore, he felt naked. There was nothing between them now, nothing but his quills and fur and flab. Her claws would tear him apart any second now. Her paw was digging at the sand behind him, she was going to flip him over- to expose his soft flesh and bypass the quills completely._

 _Instead, the tip of her snout went into the hole, and her paws shoved his quivering form on top._

 _Realization hit Quillus with a sigh of relief. Licky wasn't going to kill him. Now seated rather comfortably on her neck, he raised his paws in triumph, and laughed his head off. Licky roared and for a few seconds the crowd was stunned._

 _Then a great booing errupted from them, directed not at the bear or her rider, but at the slavemaster who had promised them all blood, guts and gore. Instead they had gotten cuteness! And cuteness was disgusting!_

 _"Release the champion " The fat rhino roared, and from another gate emerged the old brutish bear Quillus had seen execute a dozen of Vera's 'freedom fighters'. Unarmoured and more muscled than the average elephant, his mace flailing around him, the Champion roared a roar that made the crowd cheer._

 _Quillus, who had by now pissed himself, was thrown off his own bear as Licky stood on her hind legs to give a roar of her own. Younger, smaller and unarmed, she stood no chance._

 _The champion tore forwards and swung the chained mace at his opponent._

 _It caught Licky on the side of the head and the feral bear fell to the ground. The mace came down heavily on her side, once, twice, thrice, until Quillus had seen enough. He was not a brave mammal by any standards, but the sight of Licky- who had moments before not chewed him to pieces- being beaten by the dumb brute, filled him with an indigant rage he had never before felt. Dagger in paw, the porcupine charged. Luck was on his side and he tripped, letting the Champion's weapon fly harmlessly over him._

 _The old bear was used to skinny, frightened children. A feral bear was not his forte. The crowd gasped as, brushing aside all previous blows, Licky pounced, and sunk her jaws shut over her opponent's belly. The sudden pain made him drop his weapon and pound his assailant, but Licky, big for her age, managed to hold on. Quillus sat up, spitting sand out of his mouth, and remembering all those who had been killed by this stupid old bear, charged forwards once more. This time he did not trip, nor was he brushed aside. With all the force he could muster, the porcupine drove the sharpened blade into his opponent's foot._

 _Unbalanced now, the long-time champion fell over, and then his fate was sealed. Temporarily abandoning her attack on his abdomen, Licky moved on to another, much more profitable target- the older bear's unprotected face._

 _It was a brutal wrestling match that lasted several minutes, by which time all three fighters had blood on their paws… rather literally. But the combined efforts of a dagger repeatedly plunging into his right leg and a feral bear tearing his face off finally put to death the old bear's reign._

 _Licky fell to the sand with a groan. Quillus backed away from his brutally murdered opponent until he was next to his one true friend. A large bruise on her side told him she would need medical attention, and the flesh caught between her teeth told him he would have to get an uncomfortably close look at the insides of her jaws. But that did not matter. He had won… they had won… and best of all, they were alive. A loud, happy cackle errupted from him and the next thing he knew he was standing atop Licky's roaring head, laughing at the stunned looks on Vera and Inkling's faces._

* * *

"And then I became a slaver." He said simply.

"W-what?" Blacktooth was staring at him quizzically. "But you were a gladiato-"

"I was a slave stupid! Me and Licky fought in that pit till the old rhino died. Then we escaped. What was I supposed to do? Earn a living the _honest_ way?" He sounded scandalised. When Blacktooth nodded, the porcupine attempted to kick him. "Every honest idiot that walks into Ashtar winds up dead!"

"Why not move?" Sanjay asked simply. The children, acting as one, nodded in agreement.

"I'd have moved." Declared Ravi boldly.

Quillus glared at them. "Well I didn't think of that, now did I!? Thanks for the fricking idea! You're just a few years late!"

"I don't get one thing." Ganga pointed her trunk at him. "You were a slave so you know how bad it is, but you're fine with enslaving others?"

"Yeah. I am! None of you stepped up to help me, so why should I care!?"

"None of us were even born." Padma pointed out.

"Shut up! Okay!? So I didn't think it through! Here's what I know, all that divides the slavemaster and the slaves is that one's got gold, the other doesn't! I was bought for three hundred and seventy-five caesars! A fat little runt like me, could feed that she-wolf and her gang for months! One fricking slave! Do you have any idea how _valuable_ you guys are!?"

"Grandma always called me precious." Jamal whimpered.

"Exactly!"

The boar burst into tears, certain that he would never again see his grandma.

Sanjay gave the porcupine a scathing look. "All life is priceless, in my personal opinion. That means you can't just put a price tag on someone."

"Don't give me the high and mighty, jackal!" Quillus snapped. "I did what I had to do to survive! You'd have done the same, or you'd have ended up dead!"

"Or I'd have moved out."

"Stop it with the logic!"

"Now that we've established Sanjay's in- in- in-" Blacktooth was searching for a word. The kind of words Splintnose called 'fancy'.

"Intellectual?" Suggested Ganga.

"Now that we've established Sanjay's intellectual super- super- super-"

"Superiority?"

"Superiority! Intellectual superiority, er- that means he's smarter, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. Right. So how are we going to escape?"

Sanjay paused for a moment to think. He did not want to let anyone- especially not the children- down, yet at the same time had no idea how to escape this current predicament.

"We don't." Quillus said flatly. "We get sold, we get separated. If you're lucky some of you end up together. But it's not likely."

The children had not thought this far ahead, and were shocked by the horrible new prospect of separation.

Sanjay wore a scowl identical to his brothers', his attempts at cheering everyone up proving null and void. He opened his mouth, but Secrat spoke quicker.

"At least I won't have to smell any of you."

Sanjay furrowed his brow, certain that that had been directed at him. _Oh it's on bandit..._

* * *

 _Footnote: A longer chapter than usual, and one that was a bit harder to name with the 'Life' format I've been using for this story. This was originally just going to be a small segment of a chapter and then we'd get Bei and the Weeper and Sanjay's in the same place but... I went a little overboard with the flashbacks. So we'll still get those too... But later on..._

 _But I also think it's nice that I could finally give Quillus' past some attention as I've been meaning to for a while actually..._

 _Vera Darkrose by the way, belongs to Nicholas Wilde, formerly the Assassin of Xion, formerly Mordecai. Originally she was going to be the main protagonist of Village Champion's sequel- but then I went remake crazy and sort of fused the plot line of that story with the original's ending. So she got the short straw._

 _Her 'rebellion' is sort of a mix-and-match of different things, but mainly I'd say it's like the Thieves Guild from Always Together but slightly less forgiving. Also in my world most major cities have got an undercity- including Ashtar. This concept is from the KFP 2 game- but admittedly I only know about it because of Berserker88._


	22. Life Is A Trip Through The Desert

Being the only one strong enough to drag Licky's cage (and because she stunk and noone wanted to be in her presence when the simple raising of her arms could knock out all within a ten foot radius) Bei was at the back.

She was probably the first panda to travel through a desert. Even if she wasn't she was definitely the last panda to travel through a desert.

Of course, she was probably the least panda-like panda that had ever crossed anything.

Bei had not always been lean. Like any young panda Bei had been a pillow that moved. Like any young panda born into the lands surrounding Gongmen she'd play in the fields as her parents worked. Or she'd be finding something to nibble on. Or she'd be taking a nap. Once, she'd napped for a whole day and night!

 _Bei liked her life. It was simple and peaceful. She liked the food. She liked her family. She liked her friends. But most of all, she liked fireworks._

 _Although she saw them often enough (after all, Gongmen was anything but far) they never ceased to amaze her. The loud whistle and the louder pop that came with painting the sky. A thousand colours, a thousand patterns, all mesmerising._

 _Presently she was playing outside her family's little house (although it was very large compared to her, for she was very small) pretending to be a firework._

 _"Whoosh!" She rushed forwards, her arms angled in front of her to match an arrowhead, her chubby little fingers clenched tightly around a collection of snowflakes. "Kaboom!" Coming to a sudden halt she released them around her. It bore no real resemblance to a firework, but her young mind was certain that she had looked exactly like one. Picking up another armful of snow the young panda raced over to her mother who was inside the house._

 _"Mama! Mama! Look what I can do!" Without waiting for her mother to reply the young panda rushed forwards. "Whoosh! Kaboom!" Some parents would have scolded her for throwing snow everywhere, but her mother was not one of those parents and picked her up in tender arms._

 _"Wonderful dear! That was wonderful!"_

 _"I looked just like a firework!" Bei cried throwing her paws high into the air. Although she had not known it at the time, this would be her last happy memory._

 _There came the howl of a wolf, and the air around them seemed to chill. There was the cry of a peacock and then screams of pain followed. Bei watched as palour vanished from her mother's face._

 _"Mama?" Why was there screaming? Her mother did not reply and Bei craned her neck to try and look back. She did not get the chance however, as a moment later her mother had turned around and rushed away from the door. Hurriedly emptying a large basket she placed Bei inside._

 _"Stay silent Bei. Whatever you do stay quiet."_

 _The young panda was scared now. They were still screaming, why were they screaming? "Mama what's wrong?"_

 _"Don't leave this for anything. Promise me you'll stay hidden." There was a desperation in the normally warm eyes that Bei had never seen before, it made her shiver._

 _"Mama you're scaring me."_

 _"Promise me!"_

 _"I- I promise."_

 _A quick kiss to the forehead, a hastily whispered 'I love you' and the basket was shut. Bei could not see anything now, save and except for her mother's tears, still fresh in her mind. She could still hear the screaming and the howling and the sounds of things being broken._

 _But Bei had kept her promise. For as long as she could anyways. She'd clambered out of the basket once, only to remember that her mother had wanted her not to. So she'd climbed back in and waited. And waited. There were no more screams now. No shouting. Aside from the howling wind there was no sound at all. Morning came and still no sound. Not the laughter of children or the belly-bashing of adults. Not the cowbell that called them to school or the sound of something tasty sizzling over a fire. Not even her papa yawning and asking in the same groggy voice 'what's for breakfast'._

 _Nothing._

Back in the desert now Bei could not surpress a growl. She was not a panda anymore, no matter what her fur said or did. She was Bei the Black and had been ever since. Blood ran down her clenched fists. She should not have delved into memory. All her memories were painful. Shaking her head free of the silly young panda she had once been, Bei continued the thankless task of dragging a cage.

* * *

It was not long before the thick jungle of Yarikan opened into a flat wasteland of burning sands and sweeping winds. How the climate could change so quickly was beyond the calculations of the band of mammals traveling through the heat. Not that they were wasting any time _doing_ calculations! All three jackals were marching resolutely through the desert. The pair of bandits were too. But suffered in louder voices.

"I am gonna die in this heat!" Splintnose whined. "Fur was not made for the desert! I'm gonna boil alive!"

"I will boil you alive!" Green-eyes howled. "Now shut up! We're all suffering here!"

Shade was not suffering, and although both Tian Yi and Dianbo were sweating, jackals were built for this kind of weather. Sables and wolves… less so.

"But I'm an albino! Sunlight melts me! And you don't have to deal with an eight inch tooth shoved up your rear!"

"I'll shove it even deeper if you don't shut up!"

The bandit's petty arguing annoyed all three jackals. But it was considerably worse for Tian Yi who had to carry Splintnose and as such, was directly in line of fire.

"How about you both be quiet?" She growled. Splintnose, infatuated as ever, grew silent immediately, and did not even whimper despite the never-ceasing pain.

Greeneyes scowled, but a quick glance at Shade and Dianbo told him that messing with their sister was a death wish.

"I don't suppose any of you have any water?"

"No. But you can suck on this if you like." Shade did a half turn and tossed a small pebble in the wolf's direction. A clever detective would have deduced that he had picked them up from the river. None present were clever detectives. Nor did they really care. Dianbo had come to the realization that the less thought he put on how life worked, the simpler it was to understand.

"You're such a funny jackal!" Greeneyes growled, tossing it away. "Suck on a pebble, dumbest thing I ever heard."

Shade stopped and handed one each to the others. "It's an old trick used by many traders. The pebble may not have water, but you'll find the effect is similar. So long as you don't swallow it, you'll be fine."

"Oops." This was from Splintnose, who now eyed his stomach with worry.

"Don't tell me. You swallowed it"? Tian Yi had to fight down the urge to roll her eyes.

A minor panic attack struck Splintnose like a lightning bolt. What was he meant to do? Lying in a relationship was always a bad idea. But surely admitting Frey that he was an idiot was almost just as bad? Unless she found him idiotic in a charming sort of way? Like a bumbling fool? Or did she think idiots were a plague on society that had to be eradicated? He knew so little about her... Yet loved her so much!

"I've got a solution!" Green-eyes declared. Grabbing the sable by the scruff he lifted Splintnose out of Tian Yi's paws. A quick punch to the stomach forced out the pebble. "Better?"

"Better". The wolf promptly dropped him.

Of course Splintnose landed right on his wound. Helpless, the sable did not even try getting up again.

"Forget me! Go ahead and save the others. I'll just lay down and die here." Perhaps he was being melodramatic, but the tears were hard to fake- and they had all seen him get bitten.

Not that that meant they all cared. "As you wish." Shade spun on his heel and marched away.

"We can't just leave him!" Tian Yi protested.

Scowling darkly Dianbo turned and marched in the opposite direction. A part of him blamed Master Flying Rhino for what he now had to do. Placing a foot firmly on the albino's back Dianbo fixed his companions with a hard stare. "Don't tell Sanjay." Ignoring Splintnose's pathetic whimpering and squirming the jackal got to work.

Half an hour later, the sable was gingerly testing his feet. It had been a difficult operation, made even more difficult by the location of the bite wound, but Dianbo had managed to extract no less that six teeth from the sable's behind. All were now coated in blood and Splintnose still had difficulty sitting down and standing up- but at least he could walk. And was no longer in pain. It had been worth it… although Dianbo dearly hoped he would forget about it sooner rather than later.

"You should consider being a doctor." Splintnose suggested, giving his tail an experimental wag.

"Never going to happen. Now come on, we've wasted enough time."

"Humph. Where are we even going anyway?"

Even Shade gave Greeneyes an incredulous look (or at least a slightly raised eyebrow).

"Ashtar." Was Tian Yi's reply. Mostly to help him walk (and thus, save time), she took Splintnose's paw in her own. The sable nearly fainted clean away.

Greeneyes' eyes widened in horror. "Ashtar? We're going to th-that Ashtar?"

"How do you only realize this now?" Asked Dianbo. "And what even is Ashtar?"

He looked to Tian Yi for explanation, but she shrugged. Instead, he found it with Shade.

"If you journey further west you will find a great empire that would make your homeland pale in comparison."

Dianbo frowned, unable to tell if the black jackal was exxagerated or not.

"Many years ago this empire was even greater, and stretched it's arms far to the east. The furthest they got was Ashtar. Just one day's journey from the border with India. They never managed to cross through Yarikan, and when they went around the jungle they were greeted with mountains too perilous to cross. India remained just out of reach. Ashtar was for many years a stronghold, a place to train and gather soldiers of all species. But there can only be so many wars to fight in and soon it was disbanded. Eventually those that governed the city threw aside the empire and declared itself free. The Western Emperor came and fought to reclaim it, and although the sands and walls were bathed in blood, Ashtar remained unconquered."

Greeneyes whimpered, curling in on himself.

"But soon the new rulers discovered that without the empire's support they stood no chance. Food could not be grown in Ashtar and money could not be made if noone wanted to buy your soldiers and without money, there would be no food. The only thing they had in excess was people. So they struck a deal with other cities to the west. Their troops would free them from the empire's grasp and an agreement would be made. In return for slaves, food would be sent regularly to Ashtar. And so it has been to this day. It is a lawless land, where you can get away with anything. Morals have no place within the city. Slaves are bought by animals from all over the world, and if we do not hurry we will not find a trace of the children, or Sanjay or the bandits. It is easy for someone to disappear in a city like Ashtar."

His history lesson at an end and the severity of the situation underlined in bold, the motley crew of rescuers continued their journey with even greater haste. Including the whimpering Greeneyes, who very much wished he would not disappear in a city like Ashtar. Or anywhere.


	23. In Life We Are All Slaves To Something

Despite being informed from the very beginning that this was the fate in store for them, nothing could have prepared the children for the slave market of Ashtar. Dozens of stalls competing for a crowd as varied as their wares. Shouting in a dozen languages about the qualities of underfed and frightened slaves. All the noise was bad enough, but it was a different kind of demeaning to have a crowd of fellow animals look you over to decide whether you were worth a rupee or two, only to turn away because they didn't think you were worth spending on.

Surya shivered. All the children had gone as silent as him upon their arrival, and their faces were just as terrified, if not moreso. Even Sanjay seemed at a loss for words. And for the first time since the raid Surya wanted to cry. He'd always been cautiously optimistic of rescue, not as much as Ravi but enough that despair only hit him now. He didn't want to be a stupid magic fox. He didn't want to be worth a dozen rupees. He just wanted to go home…

The soon-to-be-slaves stood in a line upon a raised platform. Thick heavy collars clung to their necks with an icy grip whilst chains hung around them, rattling as if in laughter. A cold cruel laughter Surya associated with the Rakshasha's of Lanka.

Blacktooth was first pulled from the line, the collar still around his neck, and shoved into the forefront. The Weeper, who was in charge of selling them, began.

"From the depths of India's jungle we bring to you, good people of Ashtar, this creature. A fat mongoose of tremendous utility!"

Silence met his words. The sable swallowed and waved a paw at the crowd.

"H-hi."

"Any bids?" It was unfortunate that another slaver had just unveiled a brutally muscled rhino, one that made fat little Blacktooth pale into insignificance. But the Weeper was a cunning leopard and tried a new tack. "This fur, is very soft. The fur of a mongoose is said to be legendary, magic even! Think of it, your own personal garden of soft, luscious fur." To illustrate his point better the Weeper stroked the sable's matted fur.

This turned a few heads but Blacktooth wasn't exactly what you'd call appealing. Or at least his fur wasn't. Naturally black but covered in dust, sand and all sorts of filth. Not to mention the sweat that seemed to be pouring from everywhere.

A rather deranged-looking feline of indiscernible species raised a paw.

"Can you _eat_ mongoose?"

"W-what?"

Ignoring the horror painted on Blacktooth's face, the Weeper gave his prominent belly a firm smack. The blow both served to silence the sable and illustrate how appetizing he was.

"Of course! I would recommend a deep-frying for this one. Coconut oil if you have some."

The crazed feline glared unexpectedly at the leopard. "I only eat things _raw!_ " He proceeded to rant about the health benefits of his raw-flesh diet for a good half an hour, by which time even the Weeper (self-proclaimed conaesuer of all things meat) had gotten bored.

"Does anyone want to buy the fat mongoose?"

"I do!" The probably feline thing said, licking it's chops.

"Anyone else?" Shouted the sable, trying and failing to catch the eye of someone that looked friendly. Noone looked even slightly friendly.

There was no reply from the crowd.

"Sold!" Shouted the Weeper, and ignoring Blacktooth's final, frantic attempt at escape, the albino leopard passed his squirming form into the paws of whatever the feline was.

Surya watched on in horror and pity as the sable was carried away. Fresh horror was thrown atop the first pile when Ravi was pushed to the front. The ever-hopeful tiger did not look so hopeful anymore.

"Sold!" Shouted another slaver and, the muscular rhino having been bought by a satisfied-looking boar, the crowd turned elsewhere for slaves… and found Ravi.

"He may not be much now." The Weeper said, lifting the tiger's arms to show off minor muscularity and ignoring the cub's discomfort at this. "But if he lives to see a few years you'll have a real fighter on your arms. Thrice he fought through us." He indicated the band of slavers. "He murdered two, and my own instincts are the only reason he is here to be sold. Where shall we start the bidding?"

"Fifty caesars!" Shouted the same fat boar. This number was not contested until the last second, when a she-wolf raised her paw.

"Fifty-five."

Quillus' eyes nearly bulged from their sockets, his mouth opened in disbelief and surprise. "V-vera?"

She gave him a lazy smile, but turned back to the Weeper. "Fifty-five for the cub."

"I'll pay sixty!" The boar snapped, unwilling to loose out on a tiger. Tigers were always a good investment. If they lasted long they were tough fighters. If not he could make a killing on the fur coat!

"Sixty-five." Vera replied curtly.

"Seventy!"

"Seventy-five."

"Eighty-five!"

Unable to bid any higher Vera shrugged in defeat. Ravi was grabbed roughly by his new master, who attached his chain to a lock on his belt, before staring back up at the podium.

Surya swallowed, unable to take his eyes off the boar's smug face.

Ganga was brought to the front now, sniffing. No introduction was needed. She was an elephant and elephants were valuable.

"I'll start with seventy!" Shouted the same boar, incidentally the owner of one of Ashtar's greatest fighting pit.

"Eighty." Vera said with a half-hearted shrug, she could bid no higher.

"Eighty-five!" Snapped the boar.

"Eighty-six!" Yelled a fat rabbit, clad only in the apron of a cook not quite big enough to disguise the fact that he was otherwise naked. Not that the people of Ashtar seemed to care. He was a well-known chef. And a cheapskate too. Clothes were not a worthy investment but _slaves_ were!

"A hundred!" The boar shot back. Elephants always lasted a while and they always brought in a crowd. He especially liked to match them against smaller animals like mice, or birds too small to carry them off, like parrots.

"A hundred and one!" The rabbit declared.

A frustrated growl evaded the boar's lips, but he conceded, knowing full well that the bunny always only bid one caesar higher.

The young elephant managed to retain her composure as the bunny dragged her roughly by the chain.

Licky was next in line and Bei (ignoring the plethora of pinched noses) shoved her cage to the forefront. "A former champion of Ashtar's greatest pit." The Weeper declared.

"I'll pay ninety caesars." The boar declared.

"You can't sell her separately!" Quillus snapped.

"What a strange gust of wind. It almost sounded like my former captain."

The crowd laughed heartily at the albino's joke.

"I'll pay a hundred and fifty!" Shouted a worryingly thin camel. "She is after all, a great warrior."

The boar opened his mouth to bid higher but the camel did not let him.

"Far too good for some arenas."

The pitmaster snarled. "My arena's better than yours! I don't need some dumb bear to prove that!"

"He no longer needs a bear. Excellent news, I no longer have to bid. Boys." Four other camels picked up the cage and began to take her away, a hundred caesars were passed and the transaction went smoothly despite the red-faced pitmaster.

"I'm a great fighter too!" Quillus shouted, desperate to at least have Licky's companionship.

The camel did not even glance in his direction and before Quillus could protest further Bei shoved a muzzle on him.

Jamal was kicked forwards now, barely holding in a flood of tears that would have made an Indian Monsoon look like a light drizzle.

"If you think the tiger's a great fighter, wait till you see what this one is capable of. Put a stone in his hoof and you'll have a kill. Put an axe there and you'll have a spectacle!"

Jamal could have easily reached a hundred caesars. Even if he didn't last long his tusks could be sold for ten caesars each, or ground and stored in a bottle, fifty caesars a gram! But the Weeper had called the wrong kid a warrior and, with nothing left to stop them, the tears came pouring out the boar like a flood.

"I'll pay ten caesars." Vera declared.

The disgruntled leopard would have agreed instantly had the rabbit cook not declared 'eighty-one' and shot the she-wolf an infuriating smile.

Vera growled but it was out of her paws now and Jamal went to the cook. Ganga patted his head with her trunk but it was all the comfort she could give... Not that he even noticed.

Surya realized too late that he was next. "A wonder if ever there was one! Do not let his appearance fool you, this fox is not an ordinary child. Magic runs through him like blood from a vein."

Although by now Surya knew this to be true, he doubted anyone would believe it. After all, if he was so magical how did he end up a slave?

"Ten caesars." Said Vera. This went uncontested until a fur-covered pig that closely resembled a dirty brush, raised an arm, his other determinedly scratching at his behind.

"Eleven."

"Fifteen."

"Sixteen."

"Twenty!"

Back and forth it went, until it landed on eighty-one and with a growl, Vera could bid no higher.

"No." Came Padma's voice, so soft it was barely heard by even his large ears. Surya gave his sister his most confident _'I'll be fine'_ smile, but despite his muteness he had never been a master of silent communication and instead of reassuring her he probably gave her more cause for concern.

Worse still was that he was now being taken away, just like Blacktooth had been. Only then did the reality of his situation really hit him. And by then it was too late to stop the tears.

Before the horrible truth that her brother was being taken away could properly sink in Padma was brought to the front.

"Do not let her age dissuade you. This one is a warrior." The Weeper squeezed at her comparatively tiny paw so that all could see her claws. "These can slice through skin quick enough to draw blood. These ears." And now he pulled her ears. "Were made to hear everything. Who shall start the bidding?"

"Eighty caesars." Vera declared boldly. The fat rabbit smirked, ready to unleash his trump card but suddenly felt something cold against the back of his neck. When had Vera moved so close? "Anyone else?"

Noone made a sound, knowing full well at this point that Vera was not to be messed with.

"Sold."

Padma curled in on herself as the she-wolf's tiger cronies lifted her tenderly off the podium. Their paws were soft for now, but would no doubt lash out soon enough.

Sanjay could not make any sound, the collar was especially tight around his throat, and despair was beginning to choke at him too. His turn came and he did his best to smile as the remaining children watched- utterly terrified. The fennecs were out of sight now, as were Licky and Blacktooth. The latter was probably dead already. A fury he'd never felt before was boiling inside him, and yet at the same time he had to control himself. If he died now there would be no point in coming so far. His siblings would come. Dianbo, Shade and Tian Yi. The stoic buzzkills. Surely they would not rest until these slavers had their joy wrenched from their grip! Hopefully their slaves too.

"Two hundred caesars! No darn bunny's gonna outbid me!" Screamed the boar, still sore about loosing Ganga to a cheapskate.

"Sold!" Said the Weeper, shoving Sanjay off the podium.

Ravi looked glad that they now shared a master and Sanjay smirked slightly, if only for his sake. It then turned into a full blown grin when he noticed that the pitmaster kept his keys within reach. _Underestimating a prankster, eh? Amateur._

Quillus was the next to take center stage. The pudgy porcupine looked more frightened than ever.

Both the fat rabbit and the pit master shrugged, turned and walked off in opposite directions, their respective slaves in tow.

"Anyone want this thing?" The Weeper asked, removing the muzzle so that it did not go to waste on someone like him.

Almost in unison, the crowd responded with 'nah's and 'no's. Except one.

"I'll have him!" Shouted Putana, raising a thin webbed finger. "Or should I say, the Gods will!"

Quillus shook in silent terror. "Anyone else?" He squeaked.

More 'nah's and 'no's followed and the grin on the toad's face widened.

"But I'll be a good slave!" The former slaver shouted desperately. "I-I'll cook your meals. O-or clean dishes! Sweep floors! Lift bricks! I'll do anythi-"

"Sold!" Cried the Weeper and Putana wasted no time whatsoever getting her arms on him.

"Toads!" She shouted.

"Sacrifice him or be sacrificed." Her amphibian fellows replied in joyless unison as they surrounded the quivering porcupine.

Somehow, noone noticed that Secrat was missing.

* * *

 _Footnote: You know… maybe this is the low point of the fic? This didn't exactly happen in the original. In this fics first rendition the kids all ended up in the same place but that's not exactly neat. So in the interest of both keeping the plot new, some dynamic interplay and because writing a slave auction was fun._

 _One thing you may have noticed was that the prices are very inconsistent but that's mostly just lack of mathematical ability and me not being bothered to come up with fair prices. It's also because I view their currency the 'caesar' as just being any coin basically. One coin equals one caesar. *Shrugs* never studied economy.  
_

 _Depending on how quickly I update again you might get a bit confused so just to clarify who's where._

 _Secrat, it's a surprise event that'll help us later._

 _Quillus is with Putana and her toad gang._

 _Blacktooth was bought by a feline of unknown species._

 _Sanjay and Ravi were bought by a fat boar who runs Ashtar's largest fighting pit (colliseum basically)_

 _Ganga and Jamal are the property of the bunny cook_

 _Surya belongs to a hairy pig_

 _Licky was bought by a rather clever camel who owns another fighting pit_

 _And Padma is in the paws of Vera Darkrose_

 _Yeah, including her in the Quillus flashback was kind of a way to introduce her before introducing her_

 _Next time, Team Jackal arrives in Ashtar and a bit of chaos ensues (what else could happen? XD) As for when my next update will come... well Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I have one short I want to write for it, maybe two if I have time. But for now, enjoy.  
_


	24. Life Is A Slave City

"There it is. A-a-ashtar." Splintnose swallowed heavily, his whole form shaking so severely that if not for Tian Yi's grip he'd have fallen over by now.

Green-eyes was worse, but because Dianbo could not help much with one paw and all, and because Shade really did not care, the wolf sat on the ground, tightly hugging at his knees in search of comfort.

Blood-red walls cast a huge shadow over the heroic liberators of slaves. Whether it was the material, or the guts of it's enemies that had left the colour in place was impossible to say, and quite frankly Dianbo did not want to know.

"Stop shaking." Tian Yi snapped, as they got nearer to the gates of the slave city.

Although he had no way of controlling the convulsions of his terrified form, Splintnose did his best to try and obey.

"Halt!" Came the voice of a tiger clad in strange armour. It was not Indian, nor was it Chinese and Dianbo was not sure where exactly it had come from. Most likely from somewhere to the west… "State your business."

Having not expected such a question, Dianbo was momentarily tongue-tied. Shade, however, was ready, and slapping Green-eyes across the muzzle, announced that they were here to sell slaves.

"Did you really have to hit me so hard?" The wolf whimpered, checking to see if he still had a full set of teeth.

"No, but it was enjoyable." The black jackal replied, not sounding particularly pleased- but when did his voice really convey any kind of feeling?

If the outside of Ashtar was terrifying, the inside was like a trip to the cemetery, at midnight.

"The walls of Ashtar are so thick that any army besieging them will starve before they can tunnel through." Shade informed, after about ten minutes of traveling through said walls.

"Fascinating! Okay, visit over, now let's get out of here!" Green-eyes spun on his heel and tried his best to run away. He probably would have succeeded, if Shade wasn't stepping on his tail.

"I must warn you that the things you see in this city may haunt your souls for this life and the next. Do not let yourself be distracted by the barbarity. We are here to save the children, not start a revolution. Attracting as little attention as possible will aid us in our goal. I reccomend turning a blind eye to the attrocities you are about to witness."

Shade lifted his foot and the sudden shift in velocity brought Green-eyes to the ground. Grabbing the wolf by the tail, the black jackal proceeded to lead the way forwards again.

Dianbo could not help but feel like his brother's final piece of advice was mostly for his sake. He was, after all, the most likely to react to any injustice he saw on the way. While he wasn't exactly a Kung Fu Master _his_ master was! And Master Flying Rhino had _never_ turned a blind eye to anything! Kung Fu Masters were sworn- not to the Emperor, nor to any ruler, but to themselves- to keep the peace and protect the weak. But in order to get the children to safety a bit of pragmatism would perhaps be needed...

Dianbo was torn away from his inner debate by a cacophony of noise. It was rather like walking into a jungle. The sun beat down on the main street of Ashtar with just as much vigour as the nearby slavers did to their 'property', if not moreso. Traders sold everything from herbs, spices, teas and sweets to slaves and skulls and knives and… dead fish fish!?

Pragmatism forgotten, and with Master Flying Rhino cheering him on (or at least, he would have, rather vigorously, had he been present) Dianbo cracked his whip and stomped towards the fish merchant- a deranged looking feline. He could not watch as the corpses of what had once been living, swimming things stared at him from behind glazed eyes.

Shade grabbed him by the scruff and pulled him away from the unaware fisherman, who was pouring oil over a mammal Dianbo found vaguely familiar.

"Didn't you hear a word I just said?"

"Kung Fu Masters are sworn to protect those in need! You expect me to just walk by a murderer-"

"Everyone here is a murderer." Shade hissed. "You can't fight a city alone."

Dianbo growled, and tried to continue his assault, but Shade continued to hold him back. All the while the fisherman chopped up a sad-looking coy, and strung it's flesh along a small stake. "And the finishing touch!" Shouted the deranged-looking feline. "An Indian Mongoose!"

"Hey! That looks like my bro!" Splintnose pointed out. When it became obvious that the heavily bruised, nude, fat, black sable with an apple in his mouth (who to add to the humiliation was now covered in oil) was indeed Splintnose's brother, the albino was enraged. "HE'S A SABLE YOU UNCULTURED-"

Tian Yi yanked him away before he suicidally charged the cleaver-wielding carnivore, but the damage was done.

"How dare you call me uncultured!" The cleaver came down an inch away from the fat sable's tail. Blacktooth would have probably cheered his brother's arrival- but was too dazed to do so. "I happen to be a perfectly, nutritionally, physically, mentally cultured being. My diet of pure protein is the key to all of this my foolish friend!" Lifting the cleaver up again, the mad cat (what kind of cat exactly was hard to tell) prepared to bring it down squarely onto Blacktooth's prominent middle. "Behold! The power of flesh fibre!"

"So, can I take out this murderer?" Dianbo asked.

Shade sighed and released his grip. The Chinese jackal shot off faster than a child running to a candy store, and intercepted the cleaver with a roundhouse kick that disarmed his opponent. Before the power of flesh fibre could do anything, the jackal's whip caught him by the neck and swiftly brought his nose against the counter, before flinging him into another cart.

"Proteeeein…" The cat groaned as he slowly slid to the ground.

Tian Yi handled damage control, and addressing the crowd (all of whom now stared with interest), declared boldly. "This man owed me money!"

There were plenty 'ah's' of understanding, before everyone went back to work, as if their had been no interruption to begin with.

"Bro!" Splintnose shot towards Blacktooth and threw him in a hug that very nearly choked the dazed sable. "You okay? He didn't marinate you or anything? You need clothes. Hey! Can I get some clothes!?"

The number of pants that promptly smothered both sables was worrying to say the least.

By the time the jackals found the bandits, Blacktooth had recovered from whatever blow had stunned him. He was hugging his brother back (and Splintnose was now very red in the face) and was also (thankfully) wearing clothes.

"I knew you'd come for me bro!"

"B-b-roooo." Splintnose wheezed, his lungs dangerously close to empty.

Tian Yi carefully prized them apart. "Not to interrupt or rush you or anything, but we kind of have a job to do."

"Oh yeah! Your bro said you'd rescue us. Well, er, I think I know the way to the slave market if that helps. I was sold first so the others should still be there."

"Good." Said Dianbo. "Lead the way bandit."

* * *

 _The first thing Bei did with her share of caesars was visit the dye-shop. A short conversation later and she lay submerged under the dark black waters- a straw in her mouth letting her breathe as the dye began to soak into her naturally white fur._

 _She was Bei the Black after all, not Bei the Big, not Bei the Firework and certainly not Bei the Panda!_

 _Pandas were extinct, and had been so ever since the Prince of Gongmen came calling. Or rather cawing._

 _After eventually leaving the safety of her box, Bei had found the other pandas. At first glance they were all asleep- and she'd been on her way back to the box when she noticed the dried blood that caked them, and that their eyes were open and glazed over and that they did not move even to breathe. She spotted her mother- pinned to their cottage wall by a halberd through the gut, like an overly plump calendar._

 _And Bei had ran back to the box and forced herself to sleep. It was a nightmare. It could be nothing but a nightmare! Her mother would tell her to come out soon. That it was safe._

 _But reality always struck harder than hope, and her mother was dead. As was everyone she'd ever known._

 _She had left the next morning, and travelled down the path to Gongmen._

 _"Hey, it's a panda!" Said one guard to another as she walked in through the gates._

 _"Hey kid!"_

 _She ran as fast as her little legs allowed, into a crowd and round a corner. The guards were pursuing her- they probably wanted to pin her against a wall._

 _Another corner, past a pig and a litter of rabbits, round a jail and into an alley. Bei tripped and landed in the mud with a small splash. The guards, who had long since lost her to the crowd, did not hear her sobbing. Noone did, even though she did so for a long time._

 _Bei could not describe the feeling she felt. But it was worse than skipping a meal, and even worse than being forbidden to eat. It was pain, not a sharp pain like a thorn, but rather a heavy pain. It was as if her chest was trying to lift a castle- but in failing to do so, her heart was crushed._

 _Hungry, cold and sad, Bei spent the night in the mud. The next morning she traveled from stall to stall at the market, searching for anything she could nibble on. And while she was given a single dumpling on occasion, all present asked her the same cruel question._

 _"Where are your parents?" Bei scampered away, tears in her eyes at every fresh reminder of her grief. Wherever she went, Bei heard the talk._

 _"The Prince of Gongmen-"_

 _"Those poor pandas!"_

 _"No survivors?"_

 _"That one always looked a little sickly to me!"_

 _"So are they or are they not extinct?"_

 _"I'd have executed him if it were my son. Nice creatures, pandas. You're quite sure they're all dead?"_

 _Pandas. Pandas. Pandas. The Prince of Gongmen had killed all the pandas. Except Bei. She was alive and miserable and hearing it all._

 _Many seemed to hope that the news was wrong, and Bei was almost tempted to wipe off the mud and show them all that the Prince of Gongmen had failed. But what if the prince saw her? Or heard her? The howl of the wolves and the peacock's cawing echoed within her. She could not be a panda. It was not safe to be a panda._

* * *

 _Footnote: I was hoping that Blacktooth's successful rescue might lighten everything up a bit more- but then Bei came along and well… the rest is history._

 _Dark it may be, but it kind of has to be. It's a strange kind of sadistic to torture characters in a funny way (truly torturing them in a way that's not Played For Laughs, yet playing it for laughs just feels wrong… yet a morbid side of me now really wants to do that XD_

 _I must say, I don't think anyone's ever tackled the immediate aftermath of the panda village assault from the point of view of the citizens of Gongmen. I alluded to it slightly through Bei's point of view, but she has enough on her head to deal with without having to worry about what everyone else feels like so isn't necessarily the best point of view in that aspect._


	25. Life Is A Series Of Ups And Downs

On the surface of it, Crotos Quillus had lead a rather eventful life. Orphan. Thief. Gladiator. Slaver. Yet incompetent all the way! As great as that sounded on a resume his life had been singularly miserable. Honestly, the porcupine wasn't really sure why he was so attached to it…

He doubted he was going to any kind of heaven- not even a God of Stupidity would be stupid enough to let him in- he'd probably bring the whole place crashing down. Somehow he doubted he'd fit in in Hell either. He'd get thrown back out after falling into a pit of lava one too many times. Perhaps whoever was in charge of that section of the afterlife would pity him- but he doubted the ruler of a literal underworld took much pity on anyone. Not that he had any idea what either place was like. To him heaven was a giant pile of gold to lie in, with all the food he could eat and Licky's companionship. Nothing more, nothing less. His definition of hell, on the other paw, was pretty close to what he now had to deal with.

Strapped to a board and surrounded by toads chanting literal gibberish in tune to the horrifically-painted, cleaver-wielding Putana. It might have been more bearable if he wasn't crying, and wasn't so scared. If only Licky were here with him...

Despite how hopeless this all looked, death had other plans… and probably didn't want him anyways.

"Why are there always toads!" Green-eyes whined- so loudly that Putana was wrenched from her trance-like state of meditative destruction.

"You do realise it's always the same bunch of toads, right?" Splintnose asked, turning to the much larger wolf.

Blacktooth, who was chewing an apple (ironically one that would have ended up in his mouth one way or another) widened his eyes in surprise. "It's always the same frogs?"

"Toads!" Hissed the Prophet, trying to stare down the combined might of Dianbo's scowl and Shade's… expression…

"Yeah." Splintnose continued to explain. "See I can tell coz their always repeating the same gibberish."

"You're so smart." Tian Yi said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

The white sable gushed. "Y-you really think so?"

"Enough talk!" Snapped the high priestess. "Let's fight!"

ItIwas less of a fight and more of a microscopic inconvenience. Charging forwards the toad ran right into Shade's waiting kick. She hit a wall and before she could begin to understand how the power of the Gods had failed her Shade had knocked her out.

"Where are the kids?" Dianbo asked the remaining toads, all of whom seemed confused by the sudden turn of events. Only a few seconds before they had been mid-sacrifice!

"Um…" They looked from one to the other- unsure if they ought to make something up or be honest and admit that they had absolutely no idea.

"I can tell you!" Quillus piped up. "I'll do better! I'll lead you to them!"

"Aren't you like, the chief slaver?" Green-eyes pointed out, showing perhaps more intellect than ever before in his life.

The porcupine shrunk under Dianbo's scowl, and tried very hard to curl in on himself as the jackals drew closer.

"T-t-to be f-fair i-it was more of a group effort really. I had very, v-very little involvement."

"Weren't you bossing everyone around until they captured your bear?" Blacktooth asked from around a mouthful of apple.

"No! You're t-talking about my- my- my identical twin!" Shade rammed a fist into his gut so hard that the surrounding toads winced. Pulling the porcupine from the board, almost without effort, the black jackal dragged him to a barrel of water, before submerging the upper half of his body. A few moments later he lifted the spluttering porcupine from within.

"What was that for!?" Quillus barked, only to once more be held under the water.

"My own entertainment." The black jackal replied, sounding utterly bored. "Drowning is a rather pleasant way to go- comparatively speaking of course. Cross us in any way shape or form and you'll find that I can be very creative- messy too. Understood?"

Failing to surpress a whimper, Quillus nodded.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask why you're wearing a vest!" Blacktooth exclaimed, slapping his forehead, as if this was a very important thing he should never have forgotten to ask.

Shade dropped the spluttering Quillus upon the ground. "Ask me anything stupid and you too will meet a sticky end."

Blacktooth swallowed audibly.

Dianbo lifted Quillus to his feet, before firmly holding on to the chain attached to the porcupine's collar.

"Alright. Lead us to the kids and we'll go easy on you. Fail to do so and we'll give you to Shade."

"I got that the first time." Quillus snapped. A partially raised eyebrow on Shade's part forced him to improve his manners. "I mean- yeah, sure. Just let me get my bear… bearings."

"What about us?" One toad asked.

"Yeah, you kind of incapacitated our leader."

"Might've even killed her!" Another said hopefully.

Dianbo tapped his foot against the ground, deep in thought. What was he supposed to do?

Splintnose however had a very good idea and hollered at the top of his voice. "Does anyone have any slave collars I can borrow?"

It was honestly rather worrying how many spare collars there were. Equally worrying was that the combined weight could very easily crush the albino sable.

A twitching fit set in, and Dianbo was filled with enough righteous fury to melt through metal. Despite the fact that his eyelids' near-constant motion left him half-blind, Dianbo had to be held back by Shade, lest he unleash destruction upon the surrounding slavers- and bring the rest of Ashtar down upon them.

A few minutes later Dianbo relaxed slightly, promising himself to reap justice another day. The toads, all safely collared and in line, trailed behind the now even more mottled motley crew of rescuers as Quillus lead the way.

A thick sheen of sweat began to spread through the porcupine- for in all honesty he did not know the streets of Ashtar that well (Licky did most of his walking after all) and was even less familiar with some of the buyers. Still, Ashtar couldn't be that big, and although he had gone from fire to frying pan, he was still alive and very much intended to stay that way. Now all he had to do was help find the missing kids- and of course, Licky.

And maybe, just maybe, he'd finally get lucky.

* * *

The she-wolf and her tigers lead Padma far away from the main streets of Ashtar, to a villa far removed from the main city. The young fox would have found it easier to admire the beauty of the place if her brother were at least with her. But no, Surya was held in the paws of another slaver, and the odds of them ever crossing paths again were slim to say the least. Tian Yi and Shade were coming, as well as the nice foreign jackal, but how would they find her in so large a city? Despair nagged at her like an old crone and all the strength she had left was busy fighting off an incoming flood of tears.

The doors of the villa creaked shut behind them, and for a short while she was in darkness. Then candles were lit and flickering light bounced from wall to wall.

"You hungry?"

It took Padma a short while to realise that she was the one being addressed. "Oh- um-" She was tempted at first to say yes, but thought better of it. From what Quillus had said this she-wolf was crafty and cruel. "N-not really. I d-don't eat much."

"At ease child." Came a strange kind of rasping voice. Scuttling into the light on all fours came a new figure. She did not know the exact species but it looked rather like a skinny scale-less pangolin covered head-to-tail in tattoos. Inkling. Quillus had told them a lot about him…

"Go on Inky. Scare her off, why don't you? She's already terrified. Poor child. Come, you must be starving."

Padma obeyed and made to follow at a distance- but her tiny paw was taken in Vera's much larger one and the next thing she knew she was faced with a large platter covered in all kinds of fruit. Bananas and mangoes! Coconuts! Papaya and cashews! Her stomach rumbled loudly, but she hesitated. These people had poisoned Quillus, who had been their friend. She was a stranger- would they even hesitate?

"What is it? Do you not like the fruit? I took you for a smart little girl, surely you know the importance of fruit! Eat! Go on, eat!"

Having little choice in the matter Padma bit into a piece of mango. The wonderfully sweet flavour danced upon her tongue and filled her cheeks with the succulent juice. Poisoned or not she could not resist swallowing and taking another bite. Then another. And yet another.

"Hungry are we? Can't imagine the slavers fed you much."

"No." She said, wiping her mouth clean on her wrist-fur. "But they weren't so bad." Or at least, they hadn't killed them.

"Humph. Guess you got lucky. But not lucky enough seeing as you're here." Vera smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm-"

"Vera Darkrose." Padma said before she could stop herself.

The she-wolf grinned. "Quillus told you all about the 'she-devil', eh?"

The porcupine in question had used far more vulgar vocabulary, but Padma nodded anyways.

"Maybe he's not far off you know?" Vera shook her head. "But if I were nice I wouldn't be here, now would I? What's your name?"

"Padma." The fox replied.

"Indian, eh? Beautiful country I've heard. Hopefully I get to visit it one day."

"Yeah, it's nice." Padma rubbed at her wrists awkwardly.

"Miss the place? I know what that feels like. Crotos loves to mope about his life, doesn't consider that some have been through just as much and worse." The she-wolf smiled and shook her head. Silence came for a while, and more for something to do than due to hunger, Padma chose a papaya.

"Well, make yourself comfortable. Inkling'll show you to your room when you're ready."

"M-my r-room? B-but aren't I a slave?"

Vera smirked. "Maybe you are. But not here. Here you are a sweet child, saved from slavery by eighty or so caesars. The villa is at your service, as am I."

The fennec leaned in slightly, her voice shaking with hope and fear. "S-so Surya… could you?"

"I cannot save everyone sweet child. But I am glad I could save you. I'd advise forgetting your brother, hard though that may be it's much easier in the long run." Bowing her head slightly the she-wolf turned away and left Padma, who was torn between relief and heart-break.

* * *

 _Footnote: Bet you didn't think Vera would play such a big role, eh? Well she's going to be important in the next few chapters so pay attention to her. Inkling is less important, but what character is good without a support base?_

 _Next time we head to Surya, Jamal and Ganga and see did they get as 'lucky' with their masters as Padma did._


	26. Life Is Unpaid Labour

It soon became apparent to the stupid, apron-clad rabbit that neither of his new slaves had a clue on how to cook the deeply exotic dishes his restaurant provided. So far they had stuffed a perfectly plain salad with copious amounts of peppers- of the fiery hot variety. Typical Indian slaves! Not even the tiniest of clues on how to cook food that was actually flavoursome instead of bathed in spices.

"My customers!" He hissed at the two, who promptly cowered and dropped a bowl. Ignoring the shattered clay the rabbit flourished his whip. "Are not paying for your oversaturated filth! Stop it with the spices!"

Jamal nodded while biting back a whimper- Ganga on the other hand had more confidence (in part because she was the largest mammal in the kitchen).

"With all due respect sir, we only know to cook what our parents taught us."

"Then learn something new!" The rabbit screamed. "Read a goddamn recipe book! I payed good money for you worthless scum!"

"We don't have a recipe book sir." Jamal pointed out, relatively safe behind Ganga's larger form.

This did not save him from the wrath of the whip and a second later the boar was fighting back tears.

"Do not talk back to me! All I'm saying is-"

"I'd like to order." Came a familiar voice, and Ganga felt hope and confusion clash within her.

Secrat had clearly stopped for a fashion change. Clad in expensive-looking silks (that in Ganga's opinion covered far too little) and with a whole new set of gold-tipped fake claws, the she-wolf was now the largest mammal in the room… and stunk of vanilla, evidently she had put on a lot of perfume.

"You do that at the till!" The bunny seethed. "Can't you see I'm trying to bully my slaves into submission?"

"That's why I'm here." Said the she-wolf, grabbing a nearby frying pan.

"Threatening me, eh?" From out of nowhere (and it really was from nowhere seeing as the rabbit lacked pockets) the slaver had tiny bell in paw. There came the tiniest tinkle in the tiny history of tiny tinkles followed by ominous stomping.

A large chimp burst from another door, and stomped forwards, deliberately hitting the ground as hard as he could in an attempt at frightening away any potential combatants (which usually worked). If not, his rather impressive muscles would no doubt do the trick.

All Secrat saw however, was the gold chain around his neck. Bandit by nurture, kleptomaniac by birth, she struck and put an end to the chimp's 'intimidation' techniques (she also gave him a rather large bruise but that was besides the point). Casually she pulled the chain free and placed it around her own neck. Solid gold… score!

"I-I- I'll pay for a better bodyguard next time! You haven't seen the last of me!" The rabbit rushed towards the door, but Secrat kicked it shut before he could leave.

"Oh I don't think we'll be seeing you again. Night night naked bunny!"

"No please!"

There was a clang as the frying pan became uncomfortably intimate with the rabbit's face.

"You're welcome kids." Said Secrat, raising the frying pan (bunny face-imprint and all) and slinging it across her shoulder. "No needs to repay me… I do this all without interest in rewards… you don't have money anyways- but I would appreciate it if your parents caved in some dough. Nothing much, just one or two hundred rupees." She shrugged in apparent disinterest. "Or a lifetime supply of vanilla perfume. Both are fine."

"Eeermm, okay?" Ganga scratched at the top of her head with the tip of her trunk. "I don't think I can promise anyth-"

The wolf cocked her head to the side- now reconsidering her rescue choices. "But your parents are rich right?"

"Well… they're not poor." Jamal supplied, rubbing his nose.

"We can discuss payment later." Said the she-wolf with a dismissive wave of her paw. "Now, let's go find your friends. Unless their parents are poor…"

The children shared a look before Ganga spoke. "Oh- er no. No er- R-Ravi's family is especially, really, really rich."

"Good! We must rescue him next! The thought of so young a child suffering… it is too much to bare! Onwards! To freedom!" And cash. Lots and lots of cash…

The children, despite all their confusion and the fact that as a near-total stranger, Secrat was probably a danger, followed. It was either that or stay in the kitchen and neither were comfortable with the apron-clad rabbit's presence- even if he was unconscious. Besides, the she-wolf had technically just freed them.

* * *

"You'll find that I treat my slaves very fairly." The pitmaster was saying as Sanjay furiously tried to find the right key for his collar. "I know Ashtar seems like a cruel place compared to India- and it is- but within this arena you can achieve more than you'd have ever done outside of it. What I'm giving you is a shot at stardom. I know there's this big cliche where all gladiator combat ends in death- but honestly, I'd be out of business if I kept killing off my expensive as hell slaves. So only about half die. But the longer you live, the less likely you are to die. The crowds start rooting for the old timer. Soon, you might even be part of the family." He waved a hoof at a Hall of Fame style wall of portraits. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Ravi's paleness said otherwise, but the pitmaster was more than used to terrified children by now.

"The other slaves shouldn't be too tough on you. A rough petting here and there, sure. But they know they can't kill you and some might even like you. I won't be too tough on you either- so long as you do exactly what I tell you to. Disobey me and you'll find yourself pitted against someone truly unbeatable, understood?"

Ravi mumbled a 'yes sir', but Sanjay hadn't heard the question. Just when it looked like he'd found the right key, it was wrenched from his paws.

"Escaping's a big no around here too." The boar grunted. "But good job getting the keys. I like someone with drive. Just don't go too fast jackal- you might just hit a wall and crumble."

Sanjay shrugged. "Maybe I'll go right through it. Some walls aren't that thick."

The boar did not reply, but it was clear from his smirk that he thought Sanjay a great buy. If only he'd gotten the elephant too…

The three came to the center of the arena. A large field of hot sand, big enough to fit a small army, surrounded by rows and rows of seats. At the moment they were empty, but Sanjay could scarcely imagine how many animals could be fitted here.

"Largest pit in Ashtar." Said the boar, his voice laden with pride. Withdrawing a small horn, he blew it, drawing the attention of the assembled slaves. Some had been busy training, others had been taking the sun- but all turned to the noise like some form of demented zombie army.

"Say hello to the new guys." Shoving both forwards the boar turned away. "Introduce yourselves. Start training. Do whatever. But remember- you all belong to me!" And with that the pitmaster left.

Most of the slaves went back to whatever they were doing before the two had been introduced. Most did not mean all however, and soon the two were surrounded by a small mob of inquisitive slaves asking them every question from 'where are you from' to 'what species is this'.

Ravi was appropriately terrified and clung to the relative safety of Sanjay's leg like a magnet.

Sanjay was less frightened, and his grin returning at full force, began. "Hi, we're Sanjay and Ravi."

The slaves were instantly silenced- and yet it was as if he hadn't said a word. Sanjay was not supplied with any kind of reply and his grin faltered slightly.

"So… anyone else want to introduce themselves… or?"

"Sanjay." Said a rhino. There was deliberate slowness in his voice, as if he were trying to taste the word.

"That's me." The jackal smirked.

A large wolf leaned forwards, and began to sniff at the jackal. The proximity disgruntled Sanjay, and it was only through strength of will that he did not slap the nose away.

"The first thing you ought to know about this place." Came a deep rumbling voice, and the slaves cleared a path for a large elephant. Covered head to toe in muscle, with a long, clichéd scar across one eye he was truly a sight to behold- moreso when it became apparent that his arms had both been ripped off at the shoulder. "Is that you're not going to get out of it alive."

The air turned solemn, and Sanjay frowned. Whoever this elephant was, he was a bigger buzzkill than Dianbo. And that was saying something!

"Everyone that gets here." Continued the elephant. "Is convinced that it's only a matter of time before they can pick a lock or dig a tunnel out. Their friends, their families, someone is going to save them, right? It's only a matter of time. The only way you get out of this place is in a coffin!" The air rumbled from the force of his voice. "So, don't do anything stupid and we'll get along fine." The elephant shrugged- or rather did a mockery of one with all that was left it his shoulders. "Until I have to fight you. In which case sorry, but it's nothing personal."

"Thanks for the tip. But I think we'll be fine." Sanjay limped (because Ravi was still stuck to his leg) determinedly away from the crowd, where he could hopefully come up with some escape plans.

"You're ignoring me." The elephant said, if he still had them he'd have crossed his arms. "Let me guess, your cousin's coming to rescue you?"

"Close. Half-brothers."

"And you think they can bust you out of here?"

The last he'd seen of Dianbo and Shade they were getting crushed by trees and swept downriver respectively. Yet Sanjay's grin never wavered. "Yup. And you can say all you want about this place being impregnable- but these guys are stubborn." Hopefully stubborn enough to shrug off the aforementioned trees and river.

"I see." The elephant's eyes were narrowed so much that Sanjay found that hard to believe. "You see these scars, right?"

"Kinda hard to miss. Maybe invest in an eye-patch?"

"Once long ago, I was just as hopeful as you. I was young and strong and freedom always felt so close." He shook his head. "They tore off my digits first. One by one. They burned my flesh black, before slicing it clean off. Eye-patch you say? They poured acid in my eye before they sliced it blind. You want to end up like me?"

"Personally, I've got a rather good sense of identity, so I'd say that's a 'no'."

"Then do the smart thing and do as you're told. Do it for the kid if not for yourself. An armless jackal can't lend a paw, can he?"

The elephant stomped away- presumably to preach to some other poor soul about why they had to kill each other and not the slavemaster.

A paw found it's way to the fur between Ravi's ears. "Don't worry kid. He may have a small tree up his ass but so do my siblings. And I personally would like to see the look on their faces when I meet them at the gates."

* * *

 _Footnote: Secrat was originally going to have an actual fight- but I figured I'd save some of that excitement for the upcoming finale in favour of something a little funnier. While it's played for laughs that she's going for the 'rich' kids, keep in mind she's going for them in favour of saving Blacktooth (whom she knows is broke) from certain death. She also paused to change her outfit. So while it's easy to look at her as a big damn hero (in that one scene anyways) keep in mind she's still a selfish jerk XD_

 _Because I've now left behind the remake section of this fic, I am now working more or less on a more loose plot than before- which is why the updates are getting slower on this. It doesn't help that the whole Ashtar plotline is a huge change of pace from the jackal village and feral jungle of before- and that for these past few chapters I've left behind the established villains in favour of the motley crew of slavers. So yeah. The story feels a bit different now._

 _The Sanjay scene went through several iterations before I settled on the final outcome. Originally he escaped- but then I realized that he escaped too early- so then there was a bit of a depression fest when the elephant was introduced- but I didn't want to keep letting this story spiral into darkness. So then I had the idea of making the arena slaves super-happy about their status as gladiators- but that felt a bit wrong so I finally settled on this. The slavery is still dark and depressing and Sanjay is the only thing stopping that scene from being a mope-fest. So thank the lord for Sanjay, am I right?_


	27. Life Is A Fight For Freedom

Surya's first thought was that slavery was not so bad. Strapped to a bed by his collar, the fennec could not do much beyond admiring the room. Rich silks covered the windows, both for the sake of privacy and to bathe the room in a soft, reddish glow. Rich silks covered the beds, both for the sake of comfort and being decorative. Incense and candles burned and filled Surya's nose with overly-sweet smells.

He had been left alone- although he could still hear the babbling from the other rooms. The young fox was sure he was in some kind of wrestling arena- all he'd seen after all were badly dressed animals jumping on one another in all sorts of painful ways (and judging from the groaning some of the moves were indeed very painful).

But why would any kind of wrestlers want him? He wasn't exactly big and bulky, nor did he know how to fight. And no sane animal would think he was magic- irrespective of whether that was true or not. Nothing about him looked remotely magical and seeing was supposed to be believing.

From a fold of rich silk (half the house must have been made of some kind of silk) the hairy pig returned. Standing behind him was a small dog, her eyelashes impossibly long and batting 'seductively'. Surya was too well-trained to stare at the copious amount of bare fur (most of which had been shaved away to make space for 'attractive' patches of pale skin) but managed a smile at the thought of his mother's thoughts on her dress code. The rude word 'bitch' was used a lot in that rant.

"So here he is." The dog cooed, her voice surprisingly deep, or at least, deeper than anyone he knew. "The new pup. So… no holds barred?" She asked the pig.

"As long as I can use him afterwards." He said with a wink. "Happy birthday sweetheart."

"Why thank you honey. Now if you don't mind, I'd like some privacy."

"Of course." He left through another fold of silk, and then Surya was alone with the manly-voiced dog.

She walked forwards and gently began stroking the fur between his ears.

Surya never got the chance to ask what was going on, not because he was mute, but because she slapped him. His face stung from the blow and his eyes began to tear up. What was _that_ for?

She slapped him again, and a third time, until he could no longer surpress the tears.

"Oh you poor, sweet child." The dog cooed, wiping them away. "Did I hurt you?"

Surya nodded slowly.

"Good!" She grabbed him by the throat and slammed the back of his head against a wall.

Surya did not even get the chance to yelp in pain before the world went black.

 _He was fighting now, rolling, kicking, biting scratching. Now that he had a better understanding of what was going on, it was not darkness he fought, but the dog. The manly-voiced dog._

 _She had him by the throat and was squeezing. Squeezing him into a corner, a little cage. The bars were at once both cold as ice and hot as magma. It was small, too small, and his ears and tail and snout and tiny paws stuck out from between the bars._

 _But he did not want to be in a cage. He could not be in a cage. He didn't have a key, and every muscle in his body fought against the door that tried to shut him into darkness._

 _Inch-by-inch, he forced it open- just enough to squeeze through the gap._

 _The dog looked confused now, still locked in combat, still fighting- but with no idea what was going on._

 _And Surya used that to his advantage. They rolled and rolled and kicked and bit. But there was one thing Surya knew that they did not- and that was that they were on a cliff._

 _The dog rolled too far and with a scream, toppled over the edge._

Then Surya blinked into reality- no, into control. He was staring at his own, unmoving form, still bound to the bed by his collar. The weight on his eyelids told him more than anything, that he was now inside the manly-voiced dog.

Not wasting any time, and ignoring the fact that he was now technically female, the possessor hastily undid the chain- he had no key with which to undo the collar and therefore had to leave it on.

 _The dog was back now- having managed to climb back up the mental cliff-face- and wrenched Surya free of the driver's seat. For a while they struggled, fighting for control of the dog's form, but this was a battle the kit could not win. Luckily for him, he still had plenty of tricks up his sleeves. Well, he didn't wear sleeves, but the point was still valid._

Surya gasped back into consciousness, and watched as his captor stumbled backwards- confused by her sudden victory. Over her own form at least, his was still determined to be free.

With the speed only a pre-pubescent child could manage, Surya was on his feet and dashing away from her.

"Hey! Get back here!" Surya was usually a very obedient child. 'Do as you're told' was a very important life lesson (and his mother's catchphrase) but right now 'stranger danger' was at the forefront of his mind.

Rushing past the semi-covered, groaning wrestlers, his little feet brought him round a corner. His large, sensitive ears told him that his pursuer was hot on his heels. He could not outrun her, especially not with a collar as heavy as the one he wore. But he wasn't hide and seek champion for nothing and burst through the first door that came into view. He dropped forwards into a slide and vanished under a bed just as the occupants above gave an extremely loud cry. Evidently someone had used their finishing move.

"Where is he!?" Screamed the infuriated dog. Blood streamed from her nostrils in little rivulets that dripped off her lip and onto the floor. As if she needed to look any more terrifying.

"Oi!" Shouted the wrestlers on the bed. "Can't you see we wanted some priva-"

"Shut it! Gah! I can't catch his scent with you two stinking up the place! I'm looking for a fox!"

She rushed towards an open window Surya hadn't seen, but that gave the fennec just what he needed to make a break for the door.

Like a small, sandy bolt of lightning, Surya shot out from under the bed, much to the horror of those on it.

"W-w-as he th-there the whole time!?"

But neither Surya, nor the manly-voiced dog now barking at his heels, cared to answer.

* * *

To say Crotos Quillus was scared would have been an understatement. He was- and throughout the day had been in- various states of 'terrified'. There was something about the black jackal especially, that shook him to his core. Sadists were a daily problem, and he'd only narrowly escaped many of them (or rather, Licky had murdered them for him) but somehow the thought of someone loving every second of his demise was less terrifying than someone who wouldn't remember they had killed you only an hour before. Shade, as he was called, would probably only take ten minutes to forget about him!

The porcupine was quickly being reminded that Ashtar was a city several million times larger than him. And that was without counting all the secret tunnels and undercities that had once been his home. The children, and Licky, could be literally anywhere. That was if they were still in the city and weren't being taken further west... Which, with his luck, seemed very likely at this point.

So it was a bit of a surprise, and a great relief, when one of them burst from a house just down the street.

* * *

Surya hit the city streets hard- having jumped to both reach the handle and body open the door. Swiftly, he scramble back to his feet- but the hairy pig was quicker and grabbed him by the chain. The collar contracted ruthlessly around his throat, and before he knew it his escape was at an end. He was being dragged back across the sand.

"Gotcha!" Cried the manly-voiced dog… who hadn't gotten him.

"Try and escape me, eh? Oh you're in for a rough night boy. Say goodbye to that tail of yours bec-"

Dianbo was quicker than the pig's mouth, and with a running start of approximately half the street, kicked the slaver a considerable distance away.

The jackal landed gracefully over Surya, who felt a great rush of relief at the sight of the jackal's scowling face. He was then annoyed again, because the jackal forgot he was a mute and asked 'you okay?' without looking at him. What was he expecting, a _reply_?

"Okay?" The dog screeched, apparently under the impression that the jackal had been addressing her. "Of course I am not okay! That little runt belongs to me! I payed for him!"

She had chosen her words unwisely, and a second later lay collapsed on the street.

Shade helped the fennec back to his feet and dusted him off. If he wasn't a mute, Surya would have asked why he was wearing Dianbo's vest.

"Are you alright?" The black jackal asked, apparently not interested.

Surya nodded, despite the fact that his cheeks still stung and he'd scraped a knee.

"And you doubted me!" Quillus said, far more smugly than anyone wearing a collar was allowed to be.

"No." Said Blacktooth softly. "You may be dumb but you're not dumb enough to mess with someone that could murder you and forget about you in the space of an hour." The sable nodded wisely, now chewing a pilfered banana.

"Well said bro!" Splintnose said, slapping his brother rather hard on the back.

"Bro! You nearly snapped my spine!"

"Oh- sorry."

"Quiet you two!" Snapped Green-eyes. "Or I'll break both your spines!"

"But then granny will beat you! And give you the ear twists."

"You tell him bro!"

While the bandits continued their internal bickering, Tian Yi spoke. "Okay. Quillus, is it? You lead us to Surya. Now, take us to the others."

"Oh-others." The porcupine swallowed. _Damnit, how many kids had he kidnapped!?_ "W-well a-about that… I -er- I only knew th-this address."

"So you're no longer of use to us." Came Shade's voice and Quillus began shivering vigorously.

"N-no! I-I- VERA DARKROSE! V-vera has the other fox! I swear!"

"Who's Vera?" Tian Yi asked.

Quillus, momentarily forgetting his terror, contorted his features into an ugly scowl. "Only a cold-hearted, backstabbing she-devil-"

"She sold Quillus into slavery after raising him after his parents abandoned him." Blacktooth supplied, gently folding the banana peel.

"Noone asked you!" The porcupine snapped. "But yeah. That's her."

"Vera Darkrose." Said Dianbo slowly, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

"That's my slave!" Shouted the hairy pig as he stomped closer. "I want him back!" A lot of foreign swearing followed, but Dianbo was not impressed.

"Blacktooth. Banana peel."

The confused sable handed it to him, and the jackal flung it on the street in front of him.

The unwary pig continued his dull tirade of rude words hollered at the top of his lungs- and promptly slipped on Dianbo's trap.

"Did you just copy Sanjay?" Splintnose demanded, his wrists on his hips.

Dianbo shrugged. "I just wanted to see if it would work."

Shade preferred his own methods, and slammed the hairy pig against a wall with unnecessary force. "Take us to Vera Darkrose, or you will meet a fate worse than-"

"If it's Vera you want, you would have better luck asking me." A strange creature, covered head to tail in bluish tattoos, with otherwise pale, pink skin and the overly long snout of a pangolin, said, his voice a low hiss. He inclined his head towards the now-shaking porcupine. "Hello Quillus."

"I-Inkling."

"Long time no see." The aardvark hissed, watching the former slaver cower under his gaze. Then he turned his attention to the motley crew of rescuers. Jackals, bandits and toads. "Come. There is much to be discussed."

Shade let the hairy pig slide to the floor, and instinctively, Surya grabbed Dianbo's glass paw.

Inkling spun on his heel and began to scuttle away.

"This is a bad idea!" Green-eyes hissed. "There's no way anyone could have timed that right, unless they were watching us! I call foul play!"

"Yeah." Said Splintnose. " _Yeah!_ He's acting _very_ suspicious!"

"I see no harm in following him." Said Shade with a shrug.

"D-d-don't." Quillus pleaded. "Please! These guys sentenced me to death."

Dianbo furrowed his brow in grim determination. "Then we won't let our guard down. But they have Padma. So I'm afraid we're going to have to follow him."

* * *

 _Footnote: A semi-action kind of chapter here. I hope Surya's possession techniques are less confusing now that you guys have got a general idea on what it does and therefore on what's going on. A lot of his fights will be full of this kind of trippy, almost wacky stuff happening- the random cliff, the cage, the 'driver's seat' and so on._

 _In case it's still unclear (because Surya's a kid and should definitely have no idea on what was going on around him) he was in a brothel. Obviously lots of place for innuendo there, but that type of humour has never been my strong suite, it also could have been rather… er- shall we say M-rated? So I took the easy way out and just made it 'wrestling' (although I think the 'someone had just used a finishing move' line gets the point across rather well). So Surya technically got the short straw out of all the kids- but he's also the only one with superpowers so that puts him at an advantage._


	28. Life Is A Path Built On Dreams

_He stood atop a mountain-top caked in snow, as the wind shrieked and hurtled past him. It was bitterly cold and his arms were numb- as if the blood within had frozen in place. The fox was there too, on another mountain not too far away. The magic fox with blood dripping from his arms. Laughing. Beneath the snows at his feet lay the forms that had once been the leopard's brothers._

 _"Your destiny." Said the wind, sounding like his tribe's seer. "Has changed."_

 _The Weeper growled and wrenched his spear of bone from the snows. It had not changed. He would kill the fox and give the seer a maegi's pelt. Maybe then they would allow him back into the tribe. Destiny was a mountain- a small change in the winds did not blow it away._

 _With a snarl of hatred, the Weeper flung his spear forwards, but halfway to it's target it stopped and froze. Then it spun in place, round and round and round till it pointed north._

 _"Follow your destiny." The wind whispered and with a jolt, the Weeper woke up._

* * *

Loud, badly played music, and awful singing filled his ears, along with the scent of a dozen types of alcohol and the fellow slavers he was now all-too-familiar with.

He must have dozed off for the slaver party was still in full swing. Bei had returned too, having managed to both grow back her black fur and loose the disgusting smell of skunk. The last was a great relief- he hadn't been a good hunter for nothing, and his nose had been especially sensitive to the stench.

The dream came back to him- the laughing maegi, standing atop the bodies that had been his siblings. Familiar hatred began brewing inside of him and his paws clenched into fists.

"Follow my destiny…" The Weeper growled, but he had no idea what that meant. Killing the fox was his destiny, yet the dream had not allowed him to do so...

"What?" Asked Bei, who had heard him say something under his breath. Most likely an insult of some kind... She was used to them of course, but that did not mean she didn't retaliate.

"Follow my destiny." The leopard replied, not looking at her.

The black-furred panda raised an eyebrow. "I had a dream." He explained. "And my spear spun and pointed North and the fox was there."

"The fox?"

"The maegi." Every syllable was caked in pure loathing.

"Ah." Bei shrugged and apparently lost interest. "Nightmares can be a pain."

"I sometimes wish I had your wisdom."

The panda growled, disliking the obvious sarcasm. The albino leopard continued.

"But this was not a nightmare. It felt… it felt…" The seer had always seen prophecies and destinies in dreams. Perhaps he too, had that gift.

"Real? Like most dreams?" It was Bei's turn to be sarcastic now.

"It felt right!" The albino snapped. "It felt like... destiny."

"You're starting to sound like the toad."

The Weeper paused to contemplate this. After a while he spoke, anger no longer clouding his voice. "The toad is not a fake." At the sight of Bei's 'are you insane face', the Weeper continued. "Her gods are not real- they are concoctions of her imagination. But she knew the fox was a maegi before you or I did. The fennec. There is some power inside her too."

"She knew the kit was magic by licking his face." The panda grunted, skeptical still that the kit in question even was magic.

"But there is magic in this world."

Bei humphed in obvious disagreement. If destiny was real, why had it unleashed the Prince of Gongmen upon her people? "Indians speak of karma, that only those who deserve it suffer."

"Doesn't everyone suffer?"

"Everyone deserves it." Bei shrugged. "According to them anyways." She had been a child, a good, obedient child. And yet destiny had set a monster upon her and her village. "You speak of destiny- that there is some great plan for all of us. Putana speaks of Gods and gibberish. Indians speak of action and reaction- I say all of it is rubbish. There is no god, no greater force and no justice." She slammed her paw down on the table. "Dreams are just dreams. And just because you think Putana got a lucky guess in, doesn't mean she's right."

Then Bei turned away and there was a silence between them.

Regardless of her skills, Bei was not of the Kucha. Of course she would know nothing of the deeper arts of his people. In silence now he began to contemplate the dream.

It seemed like a calling. A higher calling, a chance at reclaiming his destiny. North… he had to go north…

But where North? He knew he could not stay a slaver forever. Even if he was in charge it was not a job he could commit to. There was no thrill to it and the slave trade had never been a long term plan. He had needed a bit of extra cash for the sake of travelling, which was why he'd joined Quillus in the first place, and now he had that. So what was stopping him from leaving?

It certainly wasn't attachment to his colleagues. A few had died on the way here and he'd sold the captain into slavery. If that didn't say enough then what was there to say?

If he stayed he'd probably have to replace them regularly, not to mention deal with any incursions. As strange as it sounded he wished Quillus was still in charge- then he could have left without any impact or protests of the sort.

And he would have to leave. There were no two ways about it. The maegi was north of here. And destiny had bound the two a long time ago. Their paths were crossed, and even if it took him this lifetime and the next, he would plunge his spear right through the maegi's heart.

"Come with me." He said suddenly, turning to Bei. He was not sure what had compelled him to say it, but her skill in combat was useful, and she was too stoick to try any backstabbing. In other words, the perfect partner even if they didn't exactly see eye to eye.

"Excuse me?" She asked slowly, making sure she'd heard correctly.

"I want you to come North with me." He explained.

"To follow your dream?"

The leopard did not like her skeptical frown, but nodded regardless. "To get my revenge."

Bei shrugged. "Your revenge. Not my problem."

"So you're going to stay here?" He asked, a touch of mocking in his voice. "With the others? Continuously kidnapping kids until something kills you?" The Weeper shook his head. "Aren't you any more ambitious than that?"

Bei growled. "And what are _you_ going to do? Get lost?"

"Murder a fox. Revenge I hear is very satisfying. Then I was thinking I might return home."

"And where exactly do I fit in?" Demanded the panda. "You're gonna roast me when we get to cannibal island or do you expect me to turn carnivore? And how exactly are you going to find this 'maegi' of yours?"

"I am a hunter. I will track him. I will hunt him. And none of the Kucha would eat you. You're all muscle. Muscle is-"

"I don't care what muscle is! If you want to go, go. But I don't see any reason to follow you."

"And what exactly would you be leaving behind?" He waved a paw at their fellow slavers- some of whom were passed out but most were still horsing around (ironically both horses were amongst the former group). "I will kill the maegi. And you will help me. In turn, I will help you kill whoever you want."

He knew few details about Bei- but the gist of it was similar enough to his. Someone had come along and murdered their families and they'd been forced to leave their homes. He knew not what she was, where she came from, or who had done the deed- but that was only because Bei was secretive by nature.

Bei paused for a minute. Revenge had never appealed to her, but the recent reminder of her heritage, the painful memories… perhaps revenge was a form of closure she had not looked into closely enough...

"The Prince of Gongmen." She declared, without a hint of hesitation. She was the last panda, what was there to loose? Her whole life up till then had been about survival. Now, now she had a goal.

"Done." Said the Weeper, and they shook paws. "Now, I don't like leaving loose ends behind." He gestured at the other slavers, their was a killer's intent behind his gaze. "And we could use some meat for the journey."

Before the black panda could reply, the door burst open and an infuriated, apron-clad bunny marched in, followed closely behind by a dog that could have been male or female and an exceptionally hairy pig.

"I want a refund!" Said the dog, who must have been male, judging by their voice- and while the Kucha weren't exactly judgy (the taste of one's flesh was generally the only thing they cared to note down about people)- what kind of man wore that much pink? "Your slave escaped and attacked me! That vile little fox gave me a nosebleed and- and he did something to my head too! I want my money back!"

"Well technically it's _my_ money." The hairy pig intervened. "But I also want it back! I was attacked by some jackals! Ten of them I swear it! I fought back of course, gave them a few bruises to think about, but through foul treachery-"

The rabbit cook interjected himself into the conversation. "You think that's bad? I had to fight off no less than thirty! And they stole my slaves! I payed good money for that elephant! The boar too!"

"And I didn't even get to use the little runt!"

"I payed good money!" The rabbit spotted a chest of coins and marched determinedly towards it.

Acting swiftly, Bei slammed the chest shut. "So you lost your slaves? Not our fault you couldn't keep them!" She snarled at the much smaller mammal, who wisely backed off.

The other slavers (the ones that weren't swaying on the spot anyways) grunted in agreement.

The Weeper rose, a small sly smile on his face. These jackals were persistent as hell, but he'd beaten them before… he had little doubt it was the same set of jackals because quite frankly not many jackals went around liberating slaves left and right. He had to go North- but the journey would be long and money was incredibly valuable in this part of the world. "My co-workers are right. You payed for them, they were yours to loose."

His customers opened their mouths to prorest- but were silenced by a raised paw. "However, for a small price we may be willing to help return these stolen items to you."

* * *

 _Footnote: It's been a while since we had a villains segment- there's quite a bit less charm on Team Slaver now that Quillus is gone- but I suppose the Weeper is a different kind of interesting. Mostly a build-up chapter (both for other stories and for the next few chapters here, but it should be entertaining enough regardless... Even if it's rather short.)_


	29. Life Is A Chance At Escape

Gradually Inkling lead the large group away from the hustle and bustle of the town's main streets. The spaces between houses began to increase- and instead of crammed, uneven buildings fitted side by side as close as they could go- villas began popping up. Large houses with vast gardens and up to eight fountains. Here even the slaves were dressed well- although they still looked far from happy and Dianbo had to constantly beat down his warrior's instincts. It was hard when all his brain could think of was his late great master's voice.

 _"I've had enough of these motherfucking slavers in this motherfucking slave city!"_

Dianbo did too, but any heroics were risky at the moment.

He'd come back. He'd come back and unleash retribution… karmic justice… well... At the very least a few dozen good kicks...

It was either listening to the inner voice of his master or Crotos Quillus telling everyone and anyone about how evil Vera was. Most of it was probably exxagerated- and Dianbo had little reason to think the porcupine an honest fellow- but there was a note of desperate panic that filled the jackal with pity. Whatever Vera was, she had ruined Quillus' life. Personal dislike aside, selling someone into slavery, someone that you trusted and had more or less raised, no less, was nothing short of evil.

"We're here." Rasped Inkling, his eyes not once leaving Quillus' form. The porcupine for his part was looking away, torn between returning the glare and trying to escape. The aardvark had not spoken a word in the she-wolf's defence.

Vera Darkrose's villa was the grandest on the street. As tall as three elephants stacked on top of each other it was just two stories shy of being a palace. A pair of black roses decorated the doors of pure, pale white, and a fountain of black and white marble spewed forth a constant spray of refreshingly cool water.

"And I'm guessing that wolf walking towards us is Vera Darkrose?" Tian Yi's voice betrayed none of her nervousness. But the jackal's tail had gone rigid and Dianbo knew by now that she was panicking on the inside.

Quillus for his part was doing his best to look dignified while cowering behind Dianbo. He did not look up from his feet to answer. "Yeah. That's her."

Dianbo had expected anyone and anything from another Secrat to another Green-eyes to a literal she-demon… both extremes and everything in between were wrong.

Vera's white fur was at odds with the 'dark' part of her name- up till now the jackal had imagined it as pitch black. It was the literal opposite. A loose shirt, dyed a faint lavender to match the tip of her tail and contrast the deep purple of her eyes. He'd seen purple eyes once before, on a rather gentle bear, yet the cold, calculating look she had was completely at odds with the warmth he'd come to expect from that colour.

She was somehow both more and less impressive than he'd expected…

"And you are?" Her voice was impassive, emotionless. Yet Dianbo had been around true emotionlessness in Shade long enough to detect the barest hint of surprise. Evidently she had not been expecting them. Yet there was something else in her gaze, as if she vaguely recognized them. This vagueness became full-on recognition as her eyes passed onto Quillus.

"Hello." The porcupine somehow sounded both teriffied and infuriated and Dianbo was ever-so-slightly impressed.

"I believe I asked you a question." She asked, more insistently, her eyes going back to the trio of jackals. It was Inkling that answered for them. The aardvark slithered over to Vera's side, where he fixed Quillus with a cold stare. Without looking away from the former slaver, he spoke.

"They're here for the kid. Rescuing their village's children I expect."

"Yes! That is exactly what we're doing!" Green-eyes exclaimed, assuming what he thought was a very impressive pose. Splintnose must have liked the idea, for he too assumed a pose.

"Now hand over whoever you've got before we rob you out of house and home!" The albino sable glanced up at Tian Yi, hoping she would be impressed by this show of bravery. The she-jackal was as stiff as a board and not looking in his direction. He hastily dropped the pose. It was a stupid idea… and now he'd just _humiliated_ himself!? She'd never want to look at him again…

"Can we like say our names?" Blacktooth was asking. "When we're doing the poses? Like Green-eyes, Splintnose, Blacktooth- blasting off into-"

"Bro! It was a bad idea! Now stop embarrassing me!" The albino shot another hasty glance in Tian Yi's direction. She had not moved once. His heart was fluttering rapidly. Had he lost any chance at a relationship? Could he salvage some kind of reciprocation from her? Was it too late?

"That is the gist of it." Dianbo agreed, cutting off the bandits. "We're here for Padma I'm guessing, or Ravi. You seem to have a thing for tigers."

He was referring to the multiple bodyguards now surrounding her.

"They make great friends." The wolf replied, her eyes narrowing.

"Friends? Or slaves?" Dianbo had to resist the urge to draw his whip. He chose to narrow his own eyes in turn.

She closed her eyes now. "I meant what I said. They are my friends. I hold no slaves here."

"Oh give it a rest Vera! Just give us the fennec and we'll be on our way." Quillus snapped, sick of her 'manipulation'.

The wolf opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by the pudgy porcupine

"And don't deny it! I saw you buy her! What'd you even want with the poor child? Made her join your 'great rebellion', did you? Or did you sell her like you sold me? Or maybe she's-"

"Surya!" The fennec in question had emerged from the house mid-rant, her tiny paw held softly in the comparatively gigantic one of a tiger, but had let go upon noticing her brother (looking rather out of place amidst all the larger mammals). Now she had him tightly by the throat. She had gone for a hug of course, but excitement could hamper aim rather effectively, and it was a miracle Surya hadn't possessed someone yet... It was also a miracle he hadn't passed out yet, but that outcome was becoming more and more likely with each passing second. "I thought I'd never see you again! Are we going home now? Can we go home?"

"Not yet child." Answered Vera, smirking at the look of surprise evident on the faces of her visitors. "But soon enough you will." Now she addressed the jackals. "As you can see I have not sold her away, nor has any harm come to her. I understand that there are more children you want released? A relative too I would wager."

"Yes." Dianbo asked, recovering from the surprise of finding Padma well… alive... after all Quillus had said on the way.

"Come inside and we can talk further." The wolf pointed at the still-open doors of her villa. "There are matters I would not discuss in daylight."

"Right." Said Shade with true impassiveness that startled even the wolf.

"I've been meaning to ask." Said a tiger, pointing at the vest Shade wore. "Do you not have pants or?"

"They were torn apart when I got eaten alive by crocodiles." It was not so much what he said as the way he said it that drew all the raised eyebrows. "I have been wondering if I could borrow some more appropriate attire."

"We can supply something." Vera promised, and Inkling scuttled off, presumably to do the supplying. "Now come."

"I don't think so!" Snapped Quillus. "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me! I don't care how nice everything you say sounds, you are a liar and I am not setting foot inside your villa!"

"Well then we won't have to clean up after you." The wolf replied, without missing a beat.

Quillus snarled hatefully, yet was nearly drawn to tears by all the laughter that followed- Vera's tigers, most of whom he knew and loathed, threw their heads back in uproar.

Dianbo knelt down and taking pity upon the porcupine, undid the lock around his neck.

"You're free to go then." The jackal said. "Thank you for your help and best of luck in your endeavours." He frowned slightly. "Unless it's slavery in which case I'm actively rooting against you."

Quillus had never faced anything nearly as polite as this, and scowled for a long while, waiting for the jackal to laugh. But laughter never came and the jackal turned away and followed Vera into her villa.

"Thanks I guess." He said finally, when Dianbo was out of earshot and only Blacktooth was waving at him. Half-heartedly, and feeling ever-so-slightly stupid, the porcupine waved back. "Best of luck." He repeated as the rose doors shut. "Best of luck…"

Quillus turned and waddled away. The jackal would need more luck than him in Vera's palace… but he'd probably need his fair share too. Licky wouldn't free herself after all…

"Best of luck…" He could not remember ever being wished luck for anything… let alone genuinely...

* * *

This really wasn't Sanjay's day. Getting sold into the hooves of a no-doubt cruel slaver was bad enough- getting locked in a small, dismal cell was equally bad. Worse still was that Ravi was no longer in sight. He and the tiger cub had been separated and it took all his sense of humour (which said a lot) to surpress the thought of horrible tortures being inflicted on him. But Sanjay had a lot of sense of humour and the thought was duly squashed. What good was a dead tiger cub? No, the slavers would keep Ravi alive.

With that out of the way, the jackal could now duly focus on getting out. Jamming a claw into the lock he gave it a wiggle- alas he had never learned how to pick a lock (his village didn't really invest in doors and so the skill had been made redundant). There was a small gap in the wall high above him, which he was perhaps thin enough to squeeze through but there was no saying where it could take him. Not like he could reach it anywhere. The cell was not wide, but it was tall and it would take an elephant to get him to the gap.

The walls themselves, as he found out by knocking on them, were hollow. That meant it was easier to break, but that was speaking comparatively. A wall was a wall and he'd never mastered punching through them.

Sanjay next turned his attention to the ground at his feet. Cold and rough, there would be no digging through it- even if he had a spoon… or a spade…

No, the only way out would have to be through the window. But how to reach it?

The cold stone of the walls gave him no purchase- and he wasn't much of a climber anyways. Yet, around the window there seemed to be a kind of ledge that circled the top of the cell. There would not be enough room to stand on it- but, perhaps it could work as a grip. Which meant he did not have to climb the wall directly.

Turning to the bars he frowned at them. An experimental shake told him they were sturdy. Now, for the hard part.

Grabbing two bars, the jackal proceeded to pull himself up, his legs wrapped tightly around them. It was painstaking work and soon his elbows were screaming at him. The annoying squeaking of the bars did nothing to help his efforts, and indeed he was sure that anyone with ears could hear him.

Yet, no guards came and Sanjay's paws were soon holding the ledge tightly.

After a short pause, in which the jackal caught his breath, he unwound his legs from around the bars. Now all of his weight was being held up by his arms.

"I'm… not… that… heavy…" He managed to grunt, beginning the equally painstaking process of slowly but surely sliding across the ledge. First one paw moved an inch forwards. Then the other. Then the first, and then the second. He did not know whether he was going right or left and really didn't care at this point.

If the ledge gave away, or if his arms did, he would probably break his back… or his legs… or both. The floor was hard and the fall great, which was exactly why Sanjay refused to look down.

Sweat was now dripping from his forehead, and sliding down his face and onto the ground. The dripping would have been annoying if he wasn't tuning it out. It was lucky he'd learned how to deliberately ignore something- to be fair a lot of it had been him refusing to not prank people.

After what felt like a millenia of the nerve-wracking work, which, to be fair, had taken quite a bit of time, Sanjay now hung from the bit of ledge just under the window, gap, tunnel… whatever the thing was anyways.

His arms were shaking and it took a monumental effort to pull the upper half of his body forwards but he hadn't gotten this far to give up now. Precariously balanced as he was, the jackal wasted no time in dragging himself forwards. Only when he'd managed to drag himself into the relative safety of the tunnel, did Sanjay allow exhaustion to claim him.

For a long time the prankster lay panting on the cool stone.

The gap was most likely a kind of air ventilation system- so that the cells did not get stuffy and prematurely kill their occupants. It was not as small as it had looked from down below and although there was not enough room to turn around, Sanjay had more than enough space to shuffle forwards.

The fresh air within was a welcome relief from the hot desert sun outside and the dismal dryness of his cell. It could have done with a candle though- or something else to light the way. Sanjay was moving through total darkness now, there was nothing to smell, nothing to hear and certainly nothing to taste.

"Good thing I'm not claustrophobic, am I right?" Then he remembered that he was all alone. "Alright, time to escape."

It was not the most pleasant of places, nor the safest of situations, but Sanjay grinned anyways. After all, it was what he did best.

* * *

 _Footnote: I actually forgot what Vera looked like and had to sift through a bunch of files before I found her one- which is why she hasn't had a proper description until now. I suppose it serves as a kind of 'seeing her for the first time' thing._

 _In case it's not clear Blacktooth was suggesting the bandits do a kind of Team Rocket thing. I thought that was a pretty good joke._

 _And so Sanjay has begun his own unaided great escape- I know this means no 'Sanjay in the ring' which may come as a disappointment to you guys, but I didnt really think of a way to have Sanjay stay put (although I was very tempted to do a montage of him repeatedly getting thrown back into his cell… we may still see it, but for now I decided to go the Mission Impossible root (because it leads into the climax better)_

 _Now, strap in because the climax is coming!_


	30. Life Is An Unexpected Snowball

Ravi tugged hopelessly at the bars- not even his champion arm-wrestling strength could so much as bend them.

"Kid. Do yourself a favour and save your energy for the ring. You're going to need it."

Unlike Sanjay, the tiger cub had not been placed in solitary confinement. His rather small cell sat opposite a much larger one that housed the gloomy armless elephant.

"I won't need my energy for the ring if I can get out of here!" He punched the bar hard and bit back a whimper as pain shot through his paw.

"I was just like you once." The elephant continued, much to Ravi's annoyance. For one thing he'd already heard the larger mammal's tale of woe and it didn't interest him in the slightest. And he strongly suspected the only reason he was being spoken to in the first place was because the elephant hadn't had the chance to talk to anybody in a long time. It was frustrating in a sad kind of way. "Even when they took my arms off I thought… I thought someone would come. Or that maybe someone would slip up and I'd get a shot at escape. I used to be a farmer, and used to dream about my good old farm day and night. I don't even remember what it looks like. Want to know why?"

Ravi did not seem particularly interested, and indeed was staring at the walls as if he'd heard something falling through them.

"Because noone came. And I never got my chance. But you know what? I got something better! If I had escaped, all I'd ever been was a farmer. Here? Here I'm a legend! The crippled champion! Armless and still fighting! Imagine if I still had two hands? I'd be a monster!"

Ravi knocked on the wall. There was definitely something hollow inside it…

"I'm not telling you to stop trying coz I'm mean. I'm telling you because it's better for you! The sooner you realise that you're going to spend the rest of your life here, the sooner you become a legend."

Ravi slumped against the wall. "I don't want to be a legend-"

"You want to go home?" The elephant shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid that's the one thing you can't do now."

* * *

"So, this rich tiger cub that needs rescuing is here, eh?" Secrat, an array of pointed weapons strapped to her back, pointed at the largest arena any of them had ever seen. To be fair none of them had seen any kind of arena before.

"Um…" Started Jamal, scratching the back of his neck.

"I'm not sure." Ganga answered honestly. A boar had bought Ravi, but they had never been to Ashtar before- and hopefully would never have to visit again- and as such had no idea who the boar was or where he lived.

"Well he has to be! Look there's pamphlets! All the gladiators." She pointed at a tiger on said pamphlet. One far too old to be Ravi that looked nothing like the animal they were looking for. "That's definitely him. Alright, we're going in."

Ganga and Jamal both started, but were interrupted by one of Ashtar's citizens (in other words, a slaver).

"You have to buy a ticket first." Drawled the rhino, currently handing out pamphlets. He then pointed at a very long line that stretched out until the end of the street. "So you might want to get in line."

Secrat scowled, but turned her nose up, picked up the children by their hoof and trunk respectively, and marched to the back of the line.

"Don't worry." She said. "This should clear up pretty fast."

Somehow neither child believed her.

* * *

After what felt like hours of crawling; his knees and elbows were sore, and the tunnel had begun to feel cramped; Sanjay finally found a bit of tunnel large enough to stand in. Rising shakily to his feet, and rubbing dust off his arms, the jackal tried to get some sense of bearing. There was nothing to smell here (although he still stunk faintly of skunk), and nothing to hear (not even an infuriating dripping noise to be angry at), but there was the smallest traces of light coming from further ahead and Sanjay advanced. The traces grew, until it was clear as day. The light of the sun, a welcome relief from the dreary darkness. Warm sand beneath his feet, a welcome relief from all the hard stone. Cheering crowds, a welcome relief from the oppressive silence.

Wait, what was that last part?

A gate slammed shut behind him just as Sanjay realized he was in the arena itself. He facepalmed, rather hard.

 _"It's a lovely day here in Ashtar. Very sunny over in the middle of the desert. I'm not usually a fan of bright lights but I must say-"_

 _"And our first gladiator is here! Will he be leaving in a body bag- or can he defeat the reigning champion?"_

A pair of bats, one dark red, the other greenish-brown, were announcing in a foreign language. It was not Indian in any way shape or form but that was what Sanjay thought they were saying.

He hadn't intended to get to the ring, but waved nevertheless. It was not like he had anything better to do.

 _"He's a real softie this one! I bet our good champion flattens him by minute five!"_

Sanjay abruptly stopped waving as a gate in front of him began to open ever-so-slowly.

The armless elephant waited patiently, before emerging. The crowds cheered loudly, and showered flowers upon him. It almost made Sanjay feel jealous. He hadn't gotten any flowers…

"Looks like I'm fighting you then. Nothing personal new guy. I'll try and make this quick." The champion gladiator was covered in armour- one that must have been made for him for their were no holes for his arms. Held firmly in his trunk was a long, metal club.

Over in the stands the pitmaster boar looked slightly surprised to see the jackal out in the arena- his champion was meant to fight the water buffalo… Nevertheless he clapped his hooves. The show had to go on. Besides, he could save the buffalo for later now.

Sanjay only just managed to avoid the club as it came crashing down upon the sand. Behind the blow was enough force to fell a tree. The crowd 'oohed' and 'aaahed' as the jackal proceeded to narrowly dodge it once more.

"Hey big guy. I was just thinking." Sidestep. "Wouldn't it be more productive if we-" Duck. "Didn't try and kill each other? I mean we're both slaves. Shouldn't we try and band together or something?" Sidestep. "I can dodge all day if you want." Sidestep in the opposite direction. "But then we wouldn't really get anywhere, now would we?"

"Shut up!" Swiftly the jackal dodged. The elephant was nearly knocked off balance by the force of his own blow. "And hold still! Only one of us is getting out alive and it's not going to be you." He raised the club. "So do us both a favour and die already!"

Sanjay never did as he was told anyways. "How is that doing either of us a favour?" The jackal rolled forwards, avoiding the elephant's offensive and crawling between his legs. The arena champion was surprised to find Sanjay's voice now coming from behind him. "I die, so that's not good for me. You continue being a slave, so not good for you." The mace crashed down again- the elephant was already growing tired, a combination of the hot sun, heavy armour and all the energy he'd spent on miss-hits. The jackal leaned against the metal weapon. "How come a big guy like you doesn't want freedom? Don't those cells get a little cramped?"

 _"This is the longest our reigning champion has fought for in quite a while, isn't it? Fatigue seems to be gnawing at him."_

 _"That jackal too. I can't hear what he's saying but the big guy doesn't look too happy!"_

Nor was he. The elephant booted Sanjay, and the jackal was knocked all the way across the arena. He probably should have kept his guard a bit higher. The elephant charged, and the crowd gasped as the jackal _just_ managed to roll away. Mid-roll he changed direction, so that the elephant's stomp also missed.

It became apparent to Sanjay that his opponent would not listen to anything he said. So he decided to try a different tack. It was his personal preference anyway.

"Missed." The jackal taunted. "Missed again. And a third time. A miss with a swing. Miss with a spin. My turn!" His paws shot forwards, and caught the clasp holding the elephant's pants up.

" _Oooh! Low blow from this newest opponent. I haven't seen a maneuver like that in quite a while. A bit of a welcome relief if you ask me."_

 _"I'll second that opinion and add that it was nothing short of inspirational!_ " Kaidan, the red bat, held up his partner's belt for all to see. All could also see his partner's underwear but that was kind of the point.

The crowd roared in laughter. The reigning champion disrobed for all to see. Some were also laughing at the greenish-brown bat, of course, who was flustered to say the least.

The elephant was not used to opponents of Sanjay's calibre. Mostly he fought larger, bulkier, slower animals in what was a glorified game of whacking each other to death. He won his fights by hitting harder, and could not remember fighting anyone nearly as nimble as the jackal.

He dropped the club, and used his trunk to hoist up his pants, but that left him with no limbs left. No matter. He could still crush the little beetle!

A cloud of sand went up from the force of his stomp, but Sanjay was unharmed.

"Is that the best you can do?" The jackal shook his head mockingly. "And you've been top gladiator for how long?"

"Shut up!" He had to win! He had to! His life depended on it! The elephant charged forwards, but Sanjay was ready and neatly sidestepped.

"Bad aim too. Tsk, Tsk."

The elephant spun round and tried to charge again, but Sanjay once more avoided the blow.

"You keep making the same mistakes. Aren't elephants supposed to never forget?"

The third charge came much slower than the last two. The elephant was past his prime and exhausted, and it was not hard for Sanjay to pull his pants down again.

His opponent fell to the ground, throwing a cloud of sand high into the air.

Whipping out his signature feathers Sanjay gave the cheering crowd their due. One reigning champion, reduced to a laughing mess.

* * *

"You're _sold out!?"_ Secrat's voice echoed throughout Ashtar. It was pure fury mixed with anger and livid rage and gritted teeth and twitching eyelids.

"Unfortunately." The rhino replied. "There's a few other pits I can reccomend if you're interested. I think this one's a little overrated to be honest."

But Secrat was not paying attention to him. She had to get in! She had to get in and find the tiger and return him to his parents and get rich!

"What do we do now?" Jamal asked, wincing at the crowds 'oohs' and 'ahs' and hoping very much that Ravi was alright. And not the one currently inside the arena.

A plan was already forming in Secrat's cunning brain. She couldn't pick a lock and Greeneyes wasn't here to muscle the door away. But where their was a will, their was a way and she was getting payed!

* * *

"Stop it! Stop it! I yield! I yield!" The elephant would never again know fame in Ashtar. The cheering crowds had turned against him, and their mocking laughter had gone right through his armour. He was no longer the champion and his career had come to a bitter end at the paws of a first-timer. All he'd ever fought through, all his victories… forgotten because of his own pants and a pair of feathers.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Cried the pitmaster, raising his hooves high in celebration. "You have a new champion!"

Their was wild cheering and Sanjay was showered in flowers.

"But before we make any plans for celebration! What shall we do with the old one?"

Now the flowers and cheering stopped, replaced by a forceful chanting, one that made Sanjay's blood run cold.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

 _"It seems our audience is very bloodthirsty today."_

 _"Just a normal day in Ashtar then."_

 _"I don't think I'll ever get used to this."_

 _"Eh, it's growing on me."_

A knife was tossed from the stands and landed at the jackal's feet.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Make it quick." Grunted the old elephant, screwing his eyes tightly shut. "I wouldn't have let you suffer."

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Sanjay wore a scowl that would have made Dianbo proud. He picked up the knife and raised it high in the air for all to see.

The chanting came quicker and more urgently.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Sanjay promptly tossed the knife away and said, loud enough to be heard by all. "Sike!"

The pitmaster's eyes narrowed. This jackal would have to be made an example of. Any slave that defied the orders of their master would have to be made an example of...

Almost instantly the chanting was replaced with booing and hissing. If the people of Ashtar had rotten fruit to throw (or knew what tomatoes were) they would have thrown them. Hell, they would have thrown dung at the jackal if they could! Blood was wanted, not mercy!

"Now they'll kill us both." The armless elephant moaned, refusing to open his eyes.

"They can try." Sanjay grinned.

" _Another unexpected development here. New timers are always a lot of fun."_

Two more gates opened, and another pair of gladiators came forwards. A rhino and water buffalo respectively.

"Whoever kills the jackal." Declared the pitmaster. "Will earn their freedom!" He smiled devilishly.

Very little thought went through either combatant. All they knew was that the gates to freedom were right open, and the only thing in their path was one scrawny jackal.

The buffalo charged forwards with a moo like thunder, but Sanjay was ready for him and sidestepped the attack. The buffalo failed to stop himself, tripped over the elephant's prone form and flew into the arena walls.

The rhino was more prudent, and advanced slowly, a pair of axes raised. Or at least Sanjay thought they were axes, really they were blunt enough to be called hammers.

Sanjay feinted, and predictably, the rhino raised his arms to block. The jackal's paw however, struck lower, and easily removed his opponent's belt. Sidestepping a violent swing, the jackal brought his makeshift whip hard on his opponent's unprotected rump. He followed up by kicking said rump hard enough for the gladiator to fall over.

"Before you get up I'd like to point out that you could earn your freedom just as easily by joining my tag team. Why waste your talents killing each other when the only thing between you and freedom is a bunch of guys who can't fight?"

" _Wow. That speech was very motivational."_ The green bat wiped away a tear.

" _Screw this!"_ Shouted his fellow commentator. _"I want some action!"_

"More gladiators!" Cried the pitmaster.

Sanjay ducked the water buffalo's next attack, and in reply, swiftly raised his knee.

"My… manliness…" The bovine groaned, slipping to his knees.

Sanjay frowned apologetically. "To be fair you were aiming for my face."

Four more gates burst open now, and four more gladiators came forth, the promise of freedom guiding their every motion.

A tiger snarled and made short work of the distance between the jackal and himself. Claws raised, the tiger was momentarily stunned by a blow from Sanjay's stolen belt. He was then booted halfway across the arena by the armless elephant. The former champion looked a bit more impressive with his pants back on now.

"I may not like your sense of humour, jackal." He grunted, then did a queer shrugging motion. "But I figured I might as well die with dignity."

Sanjay opened and closed his mouth. Then he shrugged. "We're going to have to work on your optimism. But hey, progress!"

* * *

"So… how are we going to get in?" Ganga asked. For some reason Secrat was leading them away from the arena. Which was… not what someone who wanted to get in ought to be doing…

The she-wolf did not answer, leading the elephant to believe that her question had gone entirely unheard.

Ganga opened her mouth to ask again, but Secrat had already found the answer. "Are these from Gongmen?" She demanded of a peacock.

"Yes." The avian replied. "The finest fireworks in the Known World."

"How much for the whole cart?"

The peacock whistled. "That's a rather hefty sum. I'd estimate somewhere along the ten thousands." The avian found a sharp blade to his throat.

"How much would you say your life's worth?"

* * *

Sanjay had not expected to find himself at the head of a rebellion but… well… it wasn't a rescue mission if they left all the other slaves behind, was it? And the rebellion already seemed far more successful than the rescuing had ever been so that was a plus.

Eventually the pitmaster had realised that sending more gladiators into the arena was like pouring oil over a fire. In other words, not how one stopped a fire. Unfortunately, by the time he came to this realization the audience was in panicked uproar, his gladiators were all in the arena and the city's peace-keepers had been called in. They didn't seem to be faring so well though, and with all the exits blocked by incoming guards he could do nothing but watch in horror as the slaves he had payed for made their break for freedom. He probably shouldn't have invested so much in the big and muscly…

The guards of Ashtar wore professional armour, had uniform (and oddly rectangular) shields and were armed to the teeth. Sanjay had his feathers, a paintbrush, a smashed jar of ink, an army, an unlimited supply of sand and whatever else was in his pockets.

The battle was rather one-sided. If it could be called a battle. From Sanjay's point of view it was a laugh-fest to make Dianbo scowl.

The jackal side-stepped the thrust of a javelin, and brought his foot firmly down on the weapon. The small, angry dog wielding it tried his hardest to free his weapon. The canine tugged and tugged until Sanjay raised his leg and all the dog's pulling managed to do was knock himself over. Typical grunts.

Next, the jackal was faced with a tiger. In order to grab the attention of all present, the feline threw aside his shield and javelin, and drew a long scimitar. The blade glimmered with light- a pale reflection of the sun against the metal.

Sanjay did the same, and stuffed his feathers back into the safety of his pockets in favour of an already-crushed jar of ink. The jackal hurled it at his opponent, who saw the deadly projectile coming and sliced it clean in two. It would have looked far more impressive if he hadn't just thrown ink all over himself. The tiger blinked in surprise before roaring in rage.

"Meow to you too." Sanjay said, drawing a banana and proceeding to eat it- one could never have too much potasium and the fruit was especially good at cooling the body. Casually, he dodged the armoured tiger's thrusts and lunges. When he finished his snack, he tossed the peel away and ducked a final time. Sure enough, another guard tripped over the peel, flew over Sanjay and brought Sanjay's opponent to the ground.

 _"I don't know about you Kaidan, but I thought that was a carefully calculated technique."_

Neither commentator seemed worried at all by the escapees. For one thing, they could fly. And it was providing plenty of good action to provide commentary for in turn.

"Back down!" Shouted a heavily armoured crocodile from the stands. Ashtar's equivalent of a police force backed into the walls of the arena, shields raised defensively. The slaves were surrounded, and the front row of seats were now filled with javelin throwers.

"This is where we die." The elephant said gloomily.

Sanjay scowled. "Well with that attitude-"

 _BOOM!_

* * *

"Alright kids." Secrat slammed a helmet onto her head, before doing the same to her companions. "I want to get rich and you want your friends back." The she-wolf lifted Jamal (with some difficulty) onto the cart. She then tried to do the same for Ganga, but she was an elephant and so had to help herself up in the end. Secrat then sat down behind them. "The only thing standing in our way is that arena."

Ignoring the muffled protests of the peacock she had robbed, tied up and stolen the feathers of (peacock feathers matched her outfit) Secrat lighted the fireworks.

For half a second the cart did not budge, then a second later it was rushing down the street at unnatural speeds. Like a comet come to life, or a bolt of thunder. Or a bullet train. Not that any of them knew what bullets or trains were…

Jamal and Ganga screamed and held each other as the arena gates came ever closer. Secrat was laughing at the top of her lungs.

The ticket rhino did not even look up. Screaming was common in Ashtar, all it meant was that another nameless entity was biting the dust. But the screaming was coming closer… and towards him... He looked up and saw the firework cart coming. He screamed.

* * *

 _Footnote: I want to start this off by saying I didn't mean to lie to you- Sanjay was not meant to be in the ring, at least not as of the last chapter. Plans have changed. I blame you guys to be honest- reviews inspire me and this sudden rush of inspiration was… unexpected to say the least... That said I don't think anyone will complain… and I think it's better than what I had planned to begin with. It feels more like a 'climax' than Sanjay discovering a bomb did- and that might sound like a missed opportunity until I add that Sanjay wouldn't have done much besides that 'originally'. And funnily enough, is closer to the original- only now it's a full on slave revolt. Fun right?_

 _This chapter was a bit of a drag at first, including the fighting. It just felt like it *missed* something. In the end I decided that that something was Kaidan and Garret, the bat commentators (property of Mind Jack) from last time. All their lines are in italics because that's the de-facto way of writing commentary- helps it stand out. As someone who has spent an unhealthy amount of time reading/writing tournament fics I should know. So I added Kaidan (red bat) and Garret (greenish brown)_

 _And Secrat, who is just a little bit unhealthy in the head. Just a teensy little bit._

 _Six random words for word count._


	31. Life Is Like Running From An Angry Mob

"Best of luck." Quillus was muttering as he waddled through the streets, not entirely sure which direction he ought to be going in. A camel had bought Licky, and he was another pitmaster but not the boar. Not that he knew where the boar was either…

"What did he mean 'best of luck'?" The porcupine demanded of thin air. The jackal had been genuine- which was why it made no sense. Noone genuinely wished him luck. Not even his parents who had only ever smiled until they could get rid of him. Not Vera, who had been just as bad. "In all your endeavours, unless it's slavery. In which case I'm actively rooting against you." Quillus sounded nothing like Dianbo, but it helped to speak in the jackal's voice. The stupid jackal that was dumb enough to trust in Vera Darkrose… "Well he's going to die. But I won't. Get Licky, leave Ashtar. Simple. Get Licky. Leave Ashtar. Best of luck…"

"QUILLUS!" The porcupine turned to find Putana. The toad was grinning widely and in her webbed fingers she held a cleaver. "This is your last chance. Submit to the gods… or die!"

"Give me a break! You never asked me to submit to your Gods in the first place- how is this my _last_ chance?"

The prophet's lip quivered in rage. "Do not speak to me as if you know-"

Quillus looked bored.

"You know what? I'm just going to murder you."

"So nothing new, then?"

"Absolutely nothing!" Putana hurled her cleaver, Quillus ducked and the weapon hit a cart.

The porcupine then turned and raced down the street, Putana hot on his heels. Neither were moving particularly fast, but luckily for their egos, there were no other runners to compare them too.

Despite their unimpressive movement speed, Crotos Quillus managed to trip. Over something, and fell flat on his fat. Putana was moving too fast to stop herself from running into his quills, and was soon shrieking in pain and backing away. As if by a miracle, she fell over a pebble.

The pudgy porcupine pushed himself to his feet, and made to continue his search for Licky, when he tripped again. This time it was not due to clumsiness and a rather deranged-looking feline of unknown species approached, licking his chops and giving the porcupine's belly the same hungry look the Weeper had at one point.

But Quillus was nothing if not determined to survive and slammed his fist into the feline's foot as soon as it was in range. The 'raw-diet' cannibal hollered and hopped away on one foot. The former slaver pushed himself to his feet again, and cracked his knuckles. He had no idea how to fight of course, but decided he'd take a leaf out of Licky's book and use his teeth...not that Licky ever read books. But she did use her teeth. So before the weird cat thing could recover, Quillus went for his other leg. His teeth, though sharp, didn't do much damage. But he had luck on his side for once, and the cat lost balance and found out why he was called Quillus.

Soon his would-be consumer was running away, and Quillus was getting to his feet.

"Now, to get Licky."

"Forgetting about me?" Putana pulled a pair of quills out of her face, and twirled them around expertly. "It would be beautifully ironic if you died from your own body part, wouldn't it. Well life is full of all these ironies. You see, Gods are writers-"

Quillus did not care what gods were, all he knew was that he did not want to be impaled. So he raced a short distance away, fully aware that he would never outrun the crazy toad. He was so used to being carted around by Licky that his running was appalling. And porcupine's weren't exactly fast animals to begin with.

"Carted! That's it!"

"Hey! Get back here!" Putana was chasing after him, rapidly closing the distance with her long toad legs.

"I don't think so! Go sacrifice someone else!" The porcupine slammed into a cart, and pushed it a short distance away so that it could gain momentum. He then threw himself into it. And just in time, for he had just reached the top of a hill.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" The porcupine clung onto the wood for dear life as he shot down the sandy streets of Ashtar, Putana still in hot pursuit. He wasn't going _that_ fast, but it was still quicker than his running.

"You won't get away!" The Prophet shouted at him, but all he heard was a muffled shout.

"What?"

"I said you won't get away!"

"I can't hear you!" Quillus then decided he didn't want to hear her and realized his cart was full of coconuts. Diabolical laughter errupted from his lungs, and one by one he began to hurl them at his pursuer. He kept missing the toad however, and only really managed to increase his number of followers. But not in a good way. The cart's owner, the toad priestess and everyone he'd accidentally thrown a coconut at were now all chasing after him. And he was quickly running out of momentum.

The cart buckled suddenly, and Quillus flew through the air with a scream. The angry mob watched hungrily as he fell back down. But luck was on his side in a strange kind of way. A scrabbling paw grabbed a washing line strung up between two buildings- and although the line snapped under his weight, it managed to swing him over the crowd and into the window of a brothel.

Much high-pitched screaming errupted from the building, and his pursuers were unable to follow due to the sudden rush of half-dressed animals bursting out of it.

Unbeknownst to them, Quillus was pinned to one of the fleeing animals and was not in the house. Breathing a sigh of relief he let himself get carried away by a rather wide crocodile he'd landed on.

His celebration had come a little too early, however, as Putana was an observant toad. "Hey! He's riding a whore!"

"Why would you call someone out for that?" Asked the crowd of Quillus-haters in unison.

"Because we want to kill him!" The toad reminded them.

"Oh! Right. Yeah let's get him!"

Quillus pulled himself free of the traumatized crocodile and once again began to run for his life. Of course he knew he could never outrun them, but seeing as he wasn't being chased by vulpines he could outfox them. The porcupine turned sharply into an alleyway. All the angry mob saw by the time they had caught up to him was a coconut cart at the end of a street.

"Where did he go?"

"The cart stupid! He's hiding in the nuts!"

Their morale bolstered, the angry mob lead by Putana went for the cart. Just as Quillus had been hoping. The porcupine emerged from an empty restaurant as they passed it, and began to run in the opposite direction. He probably would have gotten away too, if a fat crocodile was not blocking his path. Flanking her were a pair of similarly almost-naked females. A pig and a goose (or duck) respectively.

"Care to explain what this-" The overweight reptile held up one of his quills. "Was doing on my back?"

Quillus opened his mouth to reply, but heard Putana screeching behind him. "There he is! Get him! For the Gods!" Replies and excuses seemed silly now and he threw himself between the crocodile's legs.

It was amazing how often that trick worked. The prostitutes spun on their heels with cries of 'hey' but he was already a fair distance away with no plans of turning back. To make matters worse for them, the stampeding mob stopped for noone.

Quillus' next escape route made itself visible in the long line outside one of the fighting pits.

He barged through the line- finding much success due to the sharpness of his spines, snatched a ticket from an unfortunate horse who had just bought one, and raced inside.

"He's inside that arena!" Putana shouted, and made to follow. The line refused to let the porcupine's pursuers through though.

"Get back in line!"

"Stop barging!"

"I payed for my ticket!"

"But we want to kill someone!" Putana screeched.

The ticket inspector, an old goat, raised his hooves. "Everybody please relax. There's plenty of space for everyone. Please. You will get your bloodshed. Just be patient."

"Fine!" Putana pouted, and joined the line. Her gods were patient beings, and she could be patient too.

* * *

Quillus did not stop running until he realized he had no idea where he was or where he was going. Slowing down slightly he realized that he had once more evaded his pursuers and breathed a sigh of relief. Then he fell flat on his belly.

"I really-" _pant_ "Need to-" _pant_ "Excercise!" _pant_. Or he could just get Licky back- then he'd have no reason to run. She'd do his running for him… or turn around and bite his pursuers…

Pushing himself to his feet he began to wonder slowly through the darkness. He was definitely in one of the Fighting Pits- but didn't have any idea which one. Still, the queue he'd barged through had been long. Whatever he was in, it seemed popular.

Of course, he must have taken a wrong turn for he was not going towards the stands, and was now walking through a hall of cells. Pale, empty faces stared up at him from the darkness.

"Has anyone seen a feral bear? About yay big, walks on all fours, likes sweets and goes by Licky?"

Wordlessly every chained appendage pointed the way forwards. Quillus blinked in surprise.

"Right. Okay. Well. Thanks for that." Then he steeled himself. Licky was relying on him. Licky needed him for perhaps the first time since they had first shared a cell. He would be damned if he failed her now.

* * *

"Just get the armour on." The pitmaster camel was telling a scrawny cat.

"She doesn't want it on!"

Licky agreed wholeheartedly with that statement, and beat upon the bars that ensnared her with avengeance.

 _"I_ want the armour on, and as _her_ owner my wants come first. As _your_ owner I insist that you do it- or else I might find a place for you inside the ring. Perhaps inside _her_."

The slave took one look at the monstrous bear, crashing and beating her weight against the bars. This one was desperate for freedom.

"Can't you knock her out or something first?" He squeaked.

The camel grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him against the wall. "She's opening the games in fifteen minutes. Put that on her now, or I'll-"

"It'll take you more than fifteen minutes to get her in that." Came Quillus' voice.

Licky stopped beating the bars abruptly, and began rolling across the ground in joy, her tiny tail wriggling behind her.

"I on the other paw am a- a -er- feral handler. I know how to deal with er- creatures like this."

The camel raised an eyebrow at his sudden appearance, but could tell that the porcupine was definitely talented- after all the bear had calmed down already and seemed nothing short of overjoyed at his presence. "So, this is a breastplate is it?" He held up a helmet, one designed specifically for a bear's head- of course it fitted _him_ like a breastplate so the confusion was understandable.

"It's a helmet."

"I knew that. Now open this door."

The camel did as he was bid, and watched in surprise as the bear threw herself upon the porcupine. Yet did not tear him to shreds. The feral handler was certainly very good at his job- the bear loved him. Although the saliva coating was probably an unwanted side-affect.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm here. You're free." The disgruntled porcupine grunted.

"Actually I own her." The camel reminded sternly.

"Not anymore. I'll give you to the count of five to get into that cell or let her tear at you." Somehow, most likely due to the lack of good lighting, the drool-covered porcupine getting licked all over by a tongue larger than his head, sounded threatening.

" _Excuse me!?"_

"One."

"You can't just-"

"Two."

The camel turned to his slave. "Do something!"

"Three."

"I'll pay you!"

" _Four_!"

The camel threw himself into the cage.

"Good." The pudgy porcupine pointed a flabby finger at the small cat, now watching Licky with growing dread. "You, slave boy. Lock him in."

The slave was quick to obey, over the protests of his former master.

"Done sir."

"Don't call me that. I don't own you. Now listen. There are a lot of people outside that want to kill me. I need you to cause a diversion so that I can escape. Start a rebellion or something."

"Er- right. Okay." _Start a rebellion… no pressure_.

As soon as the slave was out of earshot, Quillus turned to Licky. "Alright. Now we're even. You're free to go. Bye."

The bear whined, and crouched low to the ground so that she was not towering over him (at least, not completely). Her eyes were wide and apologetic and Quillus had to steel himself to prevent them from melting through his wall of anger. Licky had betrayed him!

"So yeah. I'm going to leave now. Without you." The porcupine made to do so half-heartedly, his resolve weakening with every step. He hadn't even taken two before Licky was in front of him, her much larger form blocking his path.

"G-get out of my wa-ack! Stop it! Stop it with the licks! Okay, okay, I forgive you."

Licky looked delighted, and knelt down on the ground for him to clamber on.

Quillus' did so, after a short while anyways. Annoyed both by all the saliva, and his own forgiveness.

"Alright Licky, we're leaving Ashtar. I have no idea where we're going or how we're going to get there, but we're leaving this dumb city behind. No more slaves, slavers or slaving."

The sounds of fighting told him that the diversion was well on the way. The diversion going on in his only way out. The diversion… that was a rebellion… that was a battle… that he had to go right through…

Licky cocked her head to the side and Quillus' itched at her ear.

"Somehow I don't think I thinked this through either."

* * *

 _Footnote: I know it's technically 'I don't think I thought this through' but 'thinked' felt more in line with Quillus. So yes, that spelling mistake was deliberate._

 _I was tempted to do a chase fight this chapter- and probably would have if Quillus wasn't the one getting chased (he's not really a fighter) so instead I went for some Looney-Tunes esque shenanigans, and of course any excuse to bring Putana back is good (even if she's not). A few other cameos from unnamed characters this chapter- I don't really expect anyone to get them all, but they were fun._

 _I was a bit tempted to emphasize the 'you betrayed me' part of Quillus and Licky, but decided against it because now felt a bit weird to go all soap-opera on this story. Plus she technically didn't betray him and I'm happy with how I handled his trust issues here._

 _Next time we head back to the Darkrose Villa, where not all is as it seems..._


	32. Life Is A Flower Hunt

"Well? Are you satisfied?"

Shade did not look satisfied. His expressionless form, however, did look _different_. The bright, white, loose shirt (too large for a jackal) and light grey (almost white) pants (baggier than bags) that Vera had provided, only served to emphasize the darkness of his fur. Somehow, he looked ridiculous, but noone cared to say so. Or dared to.

"It'll do." He replied, tightening the belt. "I suppose you'll want this back." He tossed Dianbo back his vest.

The jackal caught it on his stump and handed it to Blacktooth. "Hold this."

"You're not going to put it on?" Asked the sable, obeying regardless.

"Not until I've washed it."

"I am not filthy." Said Shade, sounding not at all offended.

Vera coughed. "Now that clothing has been sorted we can get down to business." She steepled her paws and fell back into a chair Inkling had provided. The she-wolf next waited a moment for a pair of tigers to slide a desk in front of her so that she could rest her elbows upon it. "How many slaves are you planning to free?"

Dianbo was momentarily driven to respond with 'all of them', but had to bite back down that particular temptation.

"Four." Tian Yi replied. "Ravi, Sanjay, Ganga and Jamal- oh and the other wolf- so that makes five."

"I thought as much." Vera replied. "I was at the auction you see and know exactly where you can find them." She jabbed a claw at a tiger. "Tiberius will lead you into the main fighting pit. There you will find the jackal and tiger cub. I recommend you go now, otherwise they will be dead before you can get to them." She spoke with enough certainty to set Dianbo on edge. The she-wolf pointed at a door. "You may go whenever you are ready."

Dianbo frowned. Something smelled funny and he wasn't just talking about the bandits. Tian Yi was still as stiff as a board, and although Shade remained unphased there was no doubt he could sense it too. There was something not being said, or something dishonest being said. Yet what choice did they have? If what Vera said was true, then Ravi and Sanjay were running out of time. The solution to their dilemma came in the form of cowardice.

"Out of curiosity." Green-eyes said, coughing a little. "How well-defended would you say the fighting pits are?"

Vera paused for a moment, before replying. "You will find roughly twenty to thirty guards on any given day- not accounting for special occasions of course. But they will be spaced out around the arena and Tiberius can help you avoid most of them."

"Me and Dianbo will go alone." Shade said suddenly, though still devoid of emotion. "We won't attract much attention and it will be easier to get out if there are less of us there."

For a fraction of a second Vera seemed taken by surprise. Then she raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Twenty on two aren't good odds."

"We won't be doing much fighting." Dianbo assured her.

"But for the record I've handled worse." Shade added.

"Tian Yi." Dianbo turned towards his sister. "You're in charge. We'll be back soon but try and keep this lot-" he inclined his head in the direction of the toads and bandits- "in line while we're gone. You can do that right?"

She took one look at Green-eyes, who was sighing in relief, Blacktooth, who was searching for something to chew on, Splintnose, who was staring at her with eyes strangely resembling over-large hearts and the toads, who all looked slightly confused, and nodded. She could handle them.

"Good." The jackal spun back to face Vera. "We're ready."

"Tiberius. You know what to do."

* * *

Tian Yi padded up and down the room impatiently. Her brothers had been gone for quite a while and it was beginning to worry her. There were so many things that could have, and probably _had_ gone wrong. Perhaps Vera had betrayed them, or the tiger had. Or perhaps they were in another pitched battle. Shade was invincible but Dianbo was already short a paw. And only heavens knew what state Sanjay was in.

 _"Twenty on two aren't good odd."_ Vera had said, and Tian Yi had to agree with her. _If only I wasn't such a coward..._

Around her the toads were seated on a long couch Vera had provided, watching politely along with Padma, as Surya mimed his experience as a slave. The fennec brought his own paw swiftly into the side of his face, and fell over for added emphasis. His sister and the amphibians laughed, but the sound only made Tian Yi more nervous. Vera had left them in a large room, one with only one way in and out. Perhaps this was a trap and Quillus was right and the she-wolf could not be trusted...

Over in a corner, Blacktooth was slowly and meticulously going through a fruit bowl. The black sable was so hungry (or rather, gluttonous) that he didn't even wait long enough to peel the mangoes. Besides him sat Splintnose, staring at Tian Yi and sighing wistfully. The white sable's head was filled with such beautiful thoughts and visions- a picnic on the hill with just the two of them, a candle-lit dinner, a spa day, a trip to the beach... if only he wasn't an undersized, dirty bandit with no money. Maybe then he could stand a chance at sweeping her off her feet.

As it was he doubted he could lift her... not that she weighed much, no her figure was slim but not unhealthily so... but he was small and not big on muscles.

It was a hopeless romance if ever there was one... but a sable could dream!

"You sigh one more time I'm going to boot you across this room." Greeneyes snapped.

"Yeah." Blacktooth said swallowing. "I was gonna ask why you were making that noise."

"You wouldn't understand bro." The sable replied, his eyes still glue to the jackal. "My head feels all fuzzy, my tail's wagging and my heart keeps missing a beat."

Greeneyes gagged.

"Are you sick or something?" The darker-furred sable asked, worry painted all over his face.

"Lovesick." Growled the big wolf. "That she-jackal put a spell on him and now he's acting all strange."

"I am not acting strange!" The albino snapped, his voice filled with indignation. For a moment he glared at Green-eyes, then turned back to Tian Yi and all his anger melted away. A soft purr escaped him, and for a moment Blacktooth was wondering who this clone was and what he'd done to his brother.

"Not strange? She's thrice your height!"

"So?"

Green-eyes facepalmed. "Why was I cursed with above average intellect? _Sooooo_ she's a different species. So she's got _three_ brothers. So you _can't_ love her."

"I know." Splintnose moaned, dropping his head against the ground in defeat. "But I can't help it!" He shot back upright. "I'm in love!"

"You barely know her!" The wolf protested, his arms flailing around him like a broken windmill.

"I know her name, don't I?" The sable retorted. "It's Tian Yi and exceptionally..." Once more he found himself staring in her direction and purred. "Prrrrrrrrrrretty."

"You make me sick." Greeneyes shook his head in disgust.

Blacktooth shrugged. "Just give her flowers."

"Flowers?" The wolf sounded confused.

"Flowers!" The other sable, delighted. "You're the best bro ever bro! I think I saw some lotuses in that fountain outside. Be right back!" As fast as a bolt of lightning, or rather, as fast as Cupid's legendary heart-tipped arrows, Splintnose shot out of the room.

Green-eyes turned to glare at the remaining sable. "What do you think you're doing? Encouraging him in a hopeless endeavor. Can't you see the she-jackal has no room in her heart for a bandit so small and puny as he? Can't you see that his folly shall only lead to misery and heart-ache? The she-jackal does not love anyone! Especially not him!"

The room was uncomfortably silent by the time Green-eyes had finished his speech- and all eyes were on the wolf. Tian Yi was filled with curiosity, but at the same time really didn't want to know what was going on.

"I'm going to pretend I never heard that." She said, returning to the comfortable familiarity of worrying about the fates of her brothers. Somehow that was safer than contemplating the white sable and his... feelings... towards her.

* * *

"Of course!" Splintnose was saying as he shot through the halls on feet guided by his heart. "A flower! Flowers are the most romantic thing in the long list of romantic things! Why didn't I think of that?" He paused momentarily to contemplate this, a paw on his chin. "It was probably all that fish teeth." Shrugging, he once more darted off faster than a beating heart.

Perhaps, if the flower was especially beautiful she would be impressed. Of course it could never be as beautiful as herrrr... nothing could be as beautiful as herrrrrr...

Distracted by thoughts of his beloved, Splintnose ran straight into a pillar. "But it doesn't have to be more beautiful!" He cried, pulling himself out of the miniature crater he has formed on impact. "It just has to _be_ beautiful! Oh, and if she smiles it'll be worth it, just for that one, sweet, sweet smile..." This time it was a wall he ran into. What did it matter that she would inevitably reject him? Or that her brothers would make his life hell if he so much as spilled a drink on her? All that mattered was that once in his unimpressive life he had brought joy to the one and only apple of his eyes-

This time he crashed into a door and was thrown flat on his back.

Splintnose growled in frustration- the villa was more of a maze than anything and despite the surname of his host, not a single flower (not even a rose) was in sight. Of course it was a bad idea- it had been Green-eye's idea hadn't it? Well all the wolf's ideas were stupid and this was just the latest one to suck. No surprises there.

And now he was lost.

Pulling himself to his feet, he spied the door in front of him. A pair of dark roses were lain into the wood and Splintnose had to smirk. "This must be where they keep all the flowers." He leapt upwards to reach the handle, and the door came open. In strolled Splintnose, finding himself in an office.

There was a desk, taller than him which meant it was for a larger mammal. Probably a tiger or something. A chair- also larger than him, though perhaps not large enough for a tiger, and a small cupboard in the corner. But not a single flower in sight. Snarling, but still filled with determination, the sable marched over to the cupboard's lowest door and threw it open. Unsurprisingly, there wasn't even a petal.

There came a strange hissing, and Splintnose veered around to see Inkling entering. The aardvark looked furious, but hadn't noticed him yet. Not wanting to be mistaken for a thief, the bandit threw himself into the cupboard and shut the door behind him as silently as possible. The strange, hairless pangolin was followed by Vera Darkrose, who shut the door behind her.

"Please, Inkling relax."

"Relax!? There are intruders at the gate Vera! Our plan is in shambles and- and- gah!"

"Intruders at the gate are nothing new. We live in Ashtar, remember? The tigers will deal with them-"

"These were the same slavers who sold us the kit! I'd recognize the leopard anywhere! And that bear-thing next to him too, even if she has dyed her fur."

"Our friends have handled slavers before." Vera reminded him sternly. "Anyways it doesn't matter. Our plan is still running smoothly-"

"No it isn't! Had all of them gone they could have caused enough trouble to alert the city watch." Inkling hissed, his footsteps growing periodically closer and further- the aardvark was pacing. "The more dead guards the better. Instead we have two of them going to do who knows what while the rest of them stay here and lead slavers to us! Throwing in a gamble this late in the game was a bad idea! _A bad idea!_ "

"You were the one that brought them to me." Vera snapped impatiently. "They knew I had the fox kit anyways. It was only a matter of time before they came knocking. And what was I supposed to do? Fight them? Turn them away?"

Splintnose could not see what she was doing, but he liked to think that she shook her head at this point.

"If they can get their fellows out in time then nothing goes wrong. Tiberius will light the switch and everything will go as planned. If they fail to leave the arena that's a pity but one you well know we can afford. What's another burnt body?"

"But so much more can go wrong now! What if all the guards chase pursue them out of the arena- right back to us?"

"What's a pawful of guardsmen going to do?" Vera retorted. "We've fought them before, haven't we?"

Splintnose did not quite understand what was going on- but what it sounded like was that the scary black jackal and his grumpy brother were walking into a trap. Tian Yi's brothers! His potential brothers-in-law if fate decided to throw him a bone. The white sable flared up with determined rage. He would warn the others and save the jackals, and then perhaps out of gratitude Tian Yi would pity him enough to go on one date... he would only ever need one. And then he could spend the rest of his life thinking about that one, glorious date.

"Alright. Now I just need to get out of this office and warn the others." He said aloud, slamming a fist (with pathetically little strength) into a waiting palm.

"What?" Came Vera's voice, taken by surprise.

"You heard that too, right?" Inkling hissed, and there was no mistaking the sound of his footsteps growing ever closer.

* * *

 _Footnote: After the action of Sanjay's chapter and the antics of Quillus' chase, this chapter, which serves mostly as a setup really, was kind of hard to write. That's my only excuse for the comparative slowness of the updates. Never fear, more action shall soon follow which means the updates should be a bit more frequent._

 _This isn't really a spoiler so I'll just put this here- Vera isn't sending anyone into a trap, Splintnose just jumps to that conclusion based on what he's heard about her from Quillus (a rather biased party in this regards) and eavesdropped from her. And I know Miscommunication has already been done to death- but it just felt fitting here and mostly exists to kickstart my barely-held-together plot._

 _Next time we head back to the fighting pit to see how Secrat's sudden arrival has impacted Sanjay and his band of escapees..._


	33. Life Is Breaking Your Chains

A few minutes into their treck through the darkened maze of Ashtar's underground tunnels and Dianbo found himself clutching extra-hard at his whip. He could only see a few feet in front of him and Shade would have been completely invisible if not for the bright white clothing. The tiger Tiberius lead the way in silence. He was built like an ox with muscles to rival the legendary Tai Lung, a leopard he had never seen but one that had nevertheless been ever-present as a sort of bogeyman. It didn't help that Master Flying Rhino had only ever spoken of him way past midnight.

Shade was expressionless, as usual, and Dianbo was beginning to think be might have been telling the truth about being part-demon. There certainly were stranger things than that…

Here and there the jackal spotted empty shackles against a wall. From what Quillus had told him these were where children were left to rot. Dianbo bit back a growl, not wanting to make any noise in the dense darkness. He didn't think he ever hated anything as much as this city…

It was a bit of a relief when, after what felt like a century of walking through darkness, they came upon a wider chamber. There was more light here yet all around them lay spikes and spines, stalactites and stalagmites. It greatly resembled the Jagged Cliffs of Death where Master Flying Rhino had once taken him for a picnic lunch.

That was an experience…

It was, somehow, even more of a relief when they heard sounds of battle. Memory lane was fun and all, but he had work to do.

"There shouldn't normally be this much noise." The tiger grunted, his voice surprisingly soft.

"It is a fighting pit. Shouldn't there be lots of fighting?"

Shade was definitely being sassy now. Dianbo was sure of this despite the lack of emoting on the black jackal's part.

"Duels yes. But this sounds like a battle. Perhaps you should go on without me. You're not far from the arena, just another minute or so." The tiger seemed nervous and Dianbo wasn't entirely sure that the nearby battle was the cause of his sweating. But the jackal did not press him for answers and nodded. He opened his mouth to say something in gratitude, but suddenly the whole tunnel shook, as if from an explosion, and Dianbo lost balance. He narrowly missed falling onto a spike, but one was falling down faster than he could dodge.

Luckily Shade had managed to stay upright and threw himself in harm's way. The pristine white of the shirt, and Dianbo's face, was splattered with blood.

"Sh-hade!" The jackal gasped.

"I'm fine!" The black jackal insisted, standing upright again and helping Dianbo to his feet. "Just pull out this rock."

Tucking his whip under his stump arm, Dianbo did as he was bid. As soon as the sharpened stone was pulled free new flesh began to grow over the wound and Shade clicked his neck. It was sickening and fascinating to watch, but mostly sickening and Dianbo turned away, nauseous.

Tiberius was not as lucky as Dianbo, nor did he have Shade's regenerative powers. He had fallen badly when the tunnel had shaken and was now clutching at his sides. Blood was dripping past his paws and the tiger for all his muscles and macho-ness, was sobbing like a new-born.

"Give it a rest, you'll be fine." Shade assured. But it was easy for him to say that, wasn't it? The black jackal tore off his white shirt, and swiftly wrapped the tiger's paw over the wound. "Just keep some pressure on it and you'll be fine."

"We'll come back for you." Dianbo assured, feeling a little guilty for leaving the tiger behind in that condition, but also thankful that he was not currently suffering from stalactite-through-the-chest.

"N-no! You can't leave me. The- the plan."

"We have to leave you I'm afraid." Dianbo grimaced. He shook his head. "Look, Sanjay's a real pain in the tail but he's my brother and I've only known him for two days but blood's thicker than water right? Right now he's suffering and right now he needs me and right now-"

"He's leading a rebellion." Shade finished.

Dianbo turned away from the tiger to frown at him. "He's what?"

The black jackal pointed a sword in the direction of the fighting pit. "I just saw him unpants a guy who looked like a slaver." He shrugged. "Pretty sure he's responsible for the battle as well."

Dianbo did not know whether to leap up and down in joy, twitch his eyes, facepalm, hop up and down in rage or grit his teeth. Typical Sanjay. "I don't think I should be surprised at this point." His frown was deeper than ever, deeper perhaps, than the Indian Ocean. And to think he'd been worried!

Tiberius forced himself to his feet and nearly fell over.

"Stay here, we'll come back for you." Dianbo reassured, but the tiger shook his head.

"There is something I must do... Something... Important..." Wincing in pain the cryptic tiger limped away.

Dianbo frowned at the feline's back. Either the tiger was suicidal or the wound was not that deep. But what on earth could be so important?

Shade shrugged in disinterest. "Shall we see what our brother is up to?"

* * *

Secrat was thankfully not a parent. If she had been, she'd have been an irresponsible one. As it was it was only by sheer miracle that Jamal, Ganga and her survived the impact with the gate. They had crashed into the arena, dragging the gate and the flat-as-an-idli rhino ticket inspector with them. Then the cart had capsized, knocked them all off and shot forwards a few feet away where it exploded in the middle of an unfortunate group of guardsmen.

The arena was silenced by shock and surprise, not even Sanjay knew what to say. The crowds stopped screaming and for a while the only sound was the rhino ticket inspector groaning about his back.

Ganga coughed weakly and Jamal had fainted clean away. Yet Secrat seemed unharmed, albeit very windswept.

The she-wolf got to her feet shakily and swayed on the spot like a palm tree in mid-monsoon. She raised a paw to let all present know that she had to catch her breath. By the time she was done filling her lungs the arena had grown impatient. Many in the crowd were tapping their feet impatiently.

"Alright everybody listen up! I don't know if you understand Indian-"

" _What is that lady saying?"_

 _"I think she's complaining about the rickshaw service."_

 _"You know Indian?"_

 _"No, but it's the logical conclusion."_

"I want to be rich, okay? I'm not here to do anything heroic or noble- I just want money so that I can buy new clothes and eat food that isn't cooked by somebody's grandma, is that too much to ask?" Secrat shook her head, it would not do to give into despair now. "And to do that I need money and I know that you have a tiger cub that is very, very valuable. So give him to me and I'll be on my way."

" _I think I understood that. She wants a solid gold, life-sized tiger statue._ " The red bat nodded _. "I told you I was bilangual."_

 _"It's bilingual. But the more interesting thing to observe now is how the pitmaster will react to these demands. Will he bend under her pressure or rise to her challenge?"_

The pitmaster spoke Indian, fluently too because every ancestor he'd ever had had been a pitmaster and he had the privilege of higher education. That didn't make him bright. The fact that his commentators were contradicting the she-wolf's demands confused him.

"So do you want a solid gold, life-sized tiger statue or do you want a tiger cub?" He wanted to give her neither but she had burst into the arena in a ball of fiery death and he did not want to be burned alive.

 _"A bit of haggling right now, the pitmaster is now trying to appease her with a cub-sized golden statue of a tiger."_

Secrat paused for thought. "One moment." She turned to the coughing Jamal and Ganga and whispered from around her paw. "Psst, hey, kids. Is a solid-gold, life-sized tiger statue worth more than your friend?"

Jamal was too dizzy to reply and Ganga merely stared at her wide-eyed. Sanjay stood between them, frowning like his brother did ever-so-often. "What kind of a question is that?"

Secrat facepalmed. "I know right I'm so stupid! We'll take the sta-" Sanjay jammed a banana into her jaw, and grinned up at the befudled boar.

 _"Unexpected turn of events. These two are clearly familiar with each other."_

"Just give us Ravi and we'll be on our way."

"Oh, she was talking about me." Ravi, who had made it to the arena along with the rest of the pitmaster's slaves, came out of hiding from behind a pair of larger tigers. "Yeah, I'm right here."

 _"I think that kid has just confirmed what we've all been thinking._

 _"Yup, the pitmaster's been cheating on his wife."_

The pitmaster's wife, who didn't know any dialect of Indian, gave a cry of outrage, whirled round and smacked the boar across the nose.

"Okay, Ravi's here. Ganga's here. Jamal's here." Sanjay did a small headcount. That left Blacktooth if he hadn't been eaten yet, Quillus if he hadn't been sacrificed yet, Surya and Padma. With any luck he could get everyone out of the city before his siblings showed up. The look on their faces alone would be nothing short of priceless… "Alright Fur and Freedom Fighters, let's go!"

"What if we have scales?" Asked a crocodile, to the general agreement of several snakes and a comodo dragon.

"Or feathers?" Asked a hawk, to nods from all the other avians.

"Okay bad name. Let's just simplify this." He grabbed hold of Ravi in one paw, Ganga in another and motioned for Secrat to pick up Jamal. "Everybody out!"

 _"They've seen enough drama for today. They don't have time for relationship issues. They're leaving!"_

"No they're not!" Cried the pitmaster, slamming a hoof into his armrest. "Guards! Stop them!"

"We're divorcing!" Said his wife, a rotund ball of bad make-up and foul temper.

No longer distracted by relationship dramas, the guards and gladiators got back to fighting each other. Sanjay ducked as a chimp with a scimitar swung for his head. He pulled the children out of the way of the ape's subsequent swing, simultaneously hopping over the blade.

Before any further attacks could be made, Secrat slammed Jamal's prone form into the chimp's face. The boar's weight, coupled with the force of her swing instantly knocked out Sanjay's opponent.

"Secrat!" That was her name right? Weird name... "We don't use kids as wrecking balls!" Sanjay snapped, prying the groaning boar out of her paws.

Secrat fumed. "But then what can I use!?"

"Try an actual wrecking ball. Or his sword. Or him!" This answer satisfied the she-wolf, who immediately grabbed the chimp by the leg and began to slam him into guard and gladiator alike.

"Eh, good thing she didn't pick the sword, right?" He glanced down at the children. He and all present knew by now that Jamal was out of it, but Ravi and Ganga were pale in the face and horrified. Sanjay was far from responsible, he was after all, a prankster, but he was responsible enough to know that a battlefield was no place for children.

"Alright guys, time to go home." He searched the arena for an exit. The guards were blocking the main gate (which Secrat had burst in through) and there was no way past them without going full Shade-mode. Not that he was capable of Shade-mode anyways. But there were other options. How thick, after all, could walls be?

"Hey Armless! You! Trunk-nose! Guy I tickle-tortured!"

Several guards and gladiators turned towards him, so Sanjay was forced to raise his paws. "Okay, that didn't narrow it down much. I'm looking for the elephant."

"I'm right here." Said the elephant, raising his trunk in place of an arm. "And I have a name you know."

"You never mentioned that." Sanjay then raised a paw to silence him before any name could be given. "But it's probably too long and complicated for me to pronounce so let's skip the name. I need you to hold onto these guys." He pointed at Ravi and Ganga- simultaneously ducking a javelin that sailed over his head. "And get them out of the city as fast as you can. Wait- where's Jamal?"

He spun round to find Secrat looting a heavily-bruised guard. The boar was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Jamal?" He repeated, this time to Secrat specifically. An antagonistic jackal tried to wrap him in a bear-hug but Sanjay was unbothered and raised his knee.

"How am I supposed to know?" Secrat snapped, trying on the fallen guard's helmet. "I'm not his nanny."

Sanjay resisted the urge to growl and began scanning the chaos in search of Jamal. "He was here a literal second ago!" Had he been dragged off? Buried under sand? Magicked away?

"I think he might have panicked." Ganga answered, as if she could read his mind.

"There he is!" Shouted Ravi, pointing at a corner of the pit. Jamal stood there, wide-eyed and terrified, flattened hopelessly against the wall as if he wished to disappear through it.

"Alright Armless, I'll be back in a second." That was not technically possible, but the jackal darted off before it could be pointed out. He slid under a pair of dueling oxen, their horns locked in combat and barged through a small army of desert mice. An eagle gave a piercing shriek that made his ears ring and dived towards the jackal. Sanjay reached into his vest to pull out a jar of ink, but unfortunately the first pocket he went for was empty.

The eagle slammed into him hard enough to knock him over. Sanjay tried to kick in retaliation, but hesitated when he realized his opponent was feral. That moment of hesitation was all that was needed for the nimble bird of prey to go for his nose.

Sanjay beat at the avian but the raptor held on tightly and beat back with flapping wings. It's talons dug into his stomach with avengeance. One of the desert mice, a jerboa, hopped to his rescue, but was promptly flattened when Sanjay rolled over.

"Zorry!" Came the prankster's nasally voice.

In reply the jerboa raised a thumbs-up from the inside of his crater.

Sanjay's nose hurt a lot now and blood was running down his muzzle. The savage bird had no intention of stopping and was twisting it's head this way and that way.

This was when Dianbo decided to make his heroic entrance. With a fly-kick that sent the eagle flying backwards- and very nearly ripped off Sanjay's nose.

"Ooooow! Come on! Why'd you do that man?"

Dianbo scowled and raised his stump. "That was unintentional."

Sanjay scowled and for a second the two looked nearly identical. Then the prankster grinned. "Zat's gonna be my excuze from now on."

Dianbo scowled deeper but did not even sigh when he helped Sanjay to his feet. He would have attempted to reply with some witty remark, but was distracted by a sudden pressure to his leg.

Jamal had, somehow during all of this, worked up the courage to run out of his corner and wrap his arms around the jackal's leg. "Can we go home now?"

On this, the brothers agreed.

"Zure."

"Absolutely."

The battle, which had previously been pretty even, was now fast moving in favour of the escaping slaves.

The guards of Ashtar were better equipped then the gladiators, that much was true. The numbers were about the same, that much was true. And while both sides had an army, only one had a Shade.

The black jackal was in his element now, no longer bound by his brother's merciful rules. This was a battle, and every battle had it's casualties. Incidentally, Shade was responsible for most of them. Covered in blood, with no less than sixteen weapons sticking out of his torso in various angles, the black jackal sent many a guard fleeing. Or to their grave. Or both… Archeon and Lethe spun around him in a whirlwind of crimson. Tails, teeth, toes and even a few fingers flew into the air and came back down again like some sort of macabre confetti.

 _"And the tide has turned firmly in the favour of freedom! I was always rooting for you guys! Gooooo gladiators!"_

 _"I think we're going to get fired because you said that."_

 _"Meh, our employer's just lost all his assets."_

 _"True that. Look at him now. Very unsatisfied look on his face."_

 _"Almost as unsatisfied as his wife."_

Indeed the pitmaster was far from pleased. His face was tomato red, not that anyone present knew what a tomato was, and his foot beat against the ground like a drum in a hissy crescendo. "No! No! No! You will not escape! You will go back to your cells right this instance! You will-"

"Did you hear me?" Shouted his wife. "I want a divorce!"

 _"I almost pity him."_

The other bat shrugged. " _He didn't pay us enough."_

 _"True that."_

Lead by Shade, and with Dianbo and Sanjay guarding the rear (or rather, guarding the kids for both Secrat and the elephant were mad after combat) the gladiators burst out of the arena like a river bursting through a dam.

As he shielded Ravi and Jamal's eyes (Sanjay did the same for Ganga) from the gruesome scene of bloody slavers, Dianbo felt a frown tug at his lips and was sickened, this was aimless violence, not justice, and certainly not his preferred method of rescue...

"What about Surya, Padma, Tian Yi and the ozers?"

"Is your voice actually like that or are you doing that to annoy me?"

"Noze hurtz but if it bugz you it'z a bonus."

Dianbo scowled, but answered the question anyways. "They're with Vera Darkrose. Somewhere in the city but... " He stopped suddenly. How had he and Shade gotten into the arena? Where was the secret tunnel? "I don't know the way."

Sanjay shook his head, and would have lost it had Shade not caught the halberd in between his swords. The black jackal spun his blades down the ploearm's shaft and plunged them through the guard's gut.

"Tian Yi will be fine." He said ignoring the looks of horror they gave him as he wiped his swords clean on his chest fur. "For now we need to focus on getting everyone here out of the city. We can always come back for them."

Dianbo frowned but could not fault his logic. He disagreed with it of course, but he had no way of knowing where the villa was, or if they were even still there.

 _Good luck Tian Yi._ He hoped she wouldn't need it...


	34. Life Is A Parody Of All Good Things

Locating the jackals was not difficult, nor would it have been under different circumstances. The Weeper was an excellent tracker by all accounts but his job was made significantly easier by the number of tip-offs his band of slavers had received.

One old goat had spoken of how one deranged and shirtless jackal had glowered at her for disciplining a slave. An antelope pointed the way they went, claiming that one of the canines had tried to pounce him. And when they arrived in front of the villa, it's doors decorated with a pair of luxurious black roses, a plethora of neighbors had come forth to share gossip about one Vera Darkrose's guests.

Three jackals, two a sandy orange and one pitch black, a pudgy porcupine, a pair of fennec foxes and a small group of toads.

"Putana has turned against us." The langur slaver mused.

"Her gods have." The Weeper said with an eye roll. Then the albino leopard raised a paw for silence and slowly, the hubbub quitened. "Never fear, we shall bring these foreign dogs to heel." He twirled his spear expertly about him, drawing _'ooooohs_ ' and ' _aaaaahs_ ' from those around him and a derisive snort from Bei. "We shall bring you back your slaves!" The manly-voiced dog, hairy pig and apron-clad bunny all cheered wildly. "And we shall enslave or kill anyone who stands…" Still twirling the spear around him, he half-marched, half-cart-wheeled towards the door. "In our way!" The butt of his spear was brought viciously into the doors…

...Which refused to budge. Instantly the crowd went silent, save for a cricket who was chirping rather loudly. Growling, the Weeper slammed his bone spear into the doors once more, then another, and then again. Yet, although they shook from the blows, they refused to give in.

"We can't break this." The leopard snarled, backing away slightly.

"It's hopeless!" The gharial slaver despaired. "We can't break through those doors! They must be ironwood!"

The crowd shared in his despair and wailed like banshees.

The Weeper gave a roar of outrage, took a few more steps backwards and then charged at the doors with all the strength he could muster. His form hit the rose-doors, and they shook from the blow, but in the end it was he that suffered the most damage and fell flat on his rump.

"We must find another way in!" The leopard declared, rubbing a bruised shoulder.

Bei shook her head, stomped over, tested the handle and easily pulled the door open.

The crowd was as silent as a class in detention.

"They _are_ made of Ironwood." The gharial pointed out, scratching at his neck.

"Which we will burn." The Weeper snarled. "But first let us catch our prey!" He jabbed his spear forwards and the collection of Ashtar's finest, or, alternatively, the worst of the worst, rushed past him and burst into the villa. "After we discuss our battle plans!" He seethed, to many groans of complaint. "Me, I will lead most of you through the villa, Bei can search by herself. Naked rabbit-"

"I am wearing an _apron!_ "

The Weeper was tempted to kill him for that. Noone threatened his authority, especially not… pastry chefs… "You will guard these doors with a small group, and if anyone tries to rush past you will pounce and alert us. Give a bird-call or something. Now, select hunting parties! The crocodile's with me."

"I'm a _gharial_ , actually."

* * *

Only a minute or so after Splintnose had left to get his beloved a flower, a dozen tigers and several other members of Vera's gang burst into the waiting room. They did not say anything, but locked the door twice, lifted the couch and all on it and placed it against the door, slammed the windows shut and drew the curtains as far as they would go.

"Excuse me… what are you doing?" Tian Yi was compelled to ask when the group began nailing planks over the door.

"The villa is under attack." One tiger replied. At the sight of her widened eyes he proceeded to diffuse the situation over the sound of his companions' work. "Very common occurrence, don't worry. Everyone is here." He indicated himself and the other clad-in-white residents of the villa. "Miss Vera and Inkling are in their office and you are all here. Don't worry. Noone ever gets through our defences." He tapped proudly at the planks, a confident smirk growing across his face. It vanished when Blacktooth kicked him.

"We're not all here actually! My bro is outside. Now open the door so I can get him."

"Wait!" Shouted Green-eyes. "We should come up with a signal so that when you knock on the door we know that it's you."

"What if I say fee-fi-fo-fum?"

"Too obvious! Try Gupta Gurjot gored a gang of geese."

"Noone is leaving this room." The tiger interrupted. "We are on lockdown until Miss Vera says otherwise."

"So you are her slaves?" Padma cocked her head to the side. "I'm confused sometimes."

"We are not her slaves! We are her friends." The striped feline replied indigantly, straightening his shirt.

Green-eyes snorted. "Please. Who even listens to their friends? I don't. Now open the door." The wolf stood up. He wasn't a fighter by any standard, but he was big and had robbed many a person by intimidation alone. He sat down again when the rest of Vera's 'friends' turned on him. "Or do what you want. I don't even like Splintnose that much."

"But he's my bro!" Blacktooth whined. The tigers were impassive, so the fat sable turned to Tian Yi. "He loves you! You can't let him die!"

"Wait, he loves you?" The tiger interrupted, very interested in this piece of fresh gossip.

"Isn't he a bit small?" One of the toads piped up.

"Yes. He is. Thank you!" Green-eyes clapped proudly.

"Do you reciprocate his feelings?" The tiger asked and suddenly all eyes were on Tian Yi. The invasion, Splintnose's life, all of it was somehow less important than her personal love life. For reasons...

"Well… I - er-, I don't know. I mean, I don't really know him. And he tried to rob me that one time."

The toads and tigers winced. "Oof, bad start."

"Warning signs of domestic abuse right there."

Tian Yi wasn't sure what compelled her to go on. The sable's obsession with her had come out of nowhere, but perhaps talking about it would help her understand better. "But I guess he seems... nice? I don't know. At first I kind of thought he was just being ridiculous, but then he kept doing it for so long so I think he's serious. But I don't know, noone's ever acted like that around me. Ever. I kind of want to say no but then he might get sad and I don't want him to be sad… even though we're not even friends… I mean we did go on a rescue mission together and he seems to think I saved his life that one time and my brother did give him backside-tooth surgery." Tian Yi shook her head. "You know the more I think about it, the less I understand."

"You should follow your heart." Blacktooth advised. "The heartbeat is very important."

"Nah, I say you dump the guy." One toad picked up a random cup of tea and leaned back into the couch. "The fact that he started with assault and then tried to win you over is a tell-tale sign of manipulation. Not what you want in a relationship."

"Splintnose isn't smart enough to manipulate." Green-eyes snapped. He then cleared his throat and raised a claw. "I still don't support this marriage-"

" _Marriage_!?" Tian Yi exclaimed, shocked. "Who said anything about _marriage_!?"

"Well I don't support children either." The wolf added. "Nasty things."

Surya and his sister were compelled to glare at the lupine. Green-eyes went on, oblivious.

"And even if you could breed they would be some weird jackal sable hybrid and end up ugly and unemployed." He shivered violently. He turned to Tian Yi. "If you must mate do it with your own kind."

"I _really_ wasn't thinking about mating." Tian Yi scowled, rubbing at her temples.

"Idiot! Don't listen to him." Another toad stood up and jabbed a finger into his chest. "I love cats. Does my species stop me from enjoying myself in the ways I do? Absolutely not! Love and mating must not be held back by the labels we put over ourselves. I may be in the body of a toad. But deep down, I know that I'm a _cat_!"

He was promptly shouted down by nearly everyone else (well, Green-eyes and a trio of tigers). Another toad, who had stood up to declare his own undying love for canines, sat down and forever kept his silence.

Suddenly there came a knocking at the door and all went silent.

"Is anyone in there?" Came a manly-voice that made Surya stiffen and growl. If he could talk he'd have said something along the lines of 'that crazy she-male followed me here! Well now it's my turn to beat her up'. He slammed his tiny fist into his waiting, and equally tiny palm. Oh he was going to enjoy this.

"You don't ask your slaves to come out." The langur slaver's voice said impatiently. "And yes, someone should be here, all the other rooms were empty and this is the only one that's locked." He gave the door a few, powerful kicks, but it stood in place.

A tiger put a paw to his lips to signal for silence and faced everyone in the room one by one. It was eerily quiet inside the living room.

Until Blacktooth farted.

Whether or not the slavers had heard the sable's unfortunate bout of flatulence (mango skin was supposed to be removed before consumption) was debatable.

But they definitely heard Green-eyes. The wolf, who had been standing next to the fat sable, kicked him away and clamped a paw over his nose.

"Ew man! Quick! Someone open a window!"

"I don't smell anything." Blacktooth complained, twisting his tail in red-faced shame.

"Hey Weeper! I found them! They're just behind these doors!"

"The door should hold." One tiger said confidently, although he still glowered at the two for giving them away.

A swift, strong, pounding beat at the door, which shook from each blow and sent the hinges screaming in protest.

"Or maybe not…" The feline swallowed audibly and began backing away.

"Maybe next time we're hiding." Green-eyes whimpered. "Let's actually be quiet."

"We're doomed." Blacktooth whined.

Unfortunately, Tian Yi had to agree. And not just because of the smell...

* * *

Splintnose had next to no time to plan, though perhaps that was a blessing. His plans had a notorious zero percent success rate. But that was Green-eyes' fault…

Inkling's footsteps were drawing closer and he acted while he still had some kind of advantage. The white sable recoiled like a spring, ready to bounce out of reach as soon as the cupboard came open.

Unbeknownst to him, Vera and Inkling were also playing the waiting game. Both stood still at the sides of the cupboard doors, waiting for it to inevitably kick out towards them and for whoever was inside to make their bid for freedom. It was the most commonly used method of escape in Ashtar. Which is why it almost never worked on them.

"Hey, Vera. I think I heard something in the hall." Inkling hissed with a wink. Despite the eye contact his tone betrayed none of his agenda.

Vera Darkrose was grinning, but did not sound like it, and picked up a crooked staff. "I swear I heard something from over here."

"Must have been from outside. Intruders remember?"

"You're right. Better go check."

The aardvark stomped away, loud enough to pass for two pairs of feet. Then without a sound crouched low and prepared to pounce at whoever emerged from their hiding place.

Within the cupboard, beads of sweat were trailing down Splintnose's head like never-ending rain drops against a window. His presence had remained unnoted but he was not in the clear yet. The she-wolf's scent still clung to the air, a desperate reminder that he had to leave.

The white sable pushed the door open and crawled out of the darkness of the cupboard. Inkling pounced and he screamed and Vera brought a staff down.

Much to her annoyance it was Inkling she struck, and not the sable. The aardvark was stunned by the blow and the sable shot away like a bolt from a crossbow. Vera hurled the staff after him but missed.

"W-what happened?" Inkling groaned, rubbing at his head.

Ignoring him, the she-wolf growled in frustration and gave chase.

Splintnose, despite his headstart, was at a disadvantage. For one thing wolves were faster than sables, owing to their status as apex predators. Splintnose was not even as fast as the average sable, owing to unfitness and his sore rump. On top of natural disadvantages he was in her villa, her territory and if she caught up to him he was easy prey.

He did have one advantage however, and that was being a sable. Lack of speed aside he was slinkier than she was, which made darting around pillars far easier.

And Vera's villa was full of pillars. Nimbly, but perhaps unwisely when it came to conservation of energy, Splintnose weaved around the many, many pillars. All of whom seemed to be decorated with black roses. _Geez, what's with her flower obsession?_

Vera smirked as she ran. So the eavesdropper had gotten lucky. Judging from the helter-skelter way he ran, the sable was in some kind of panicked frenzy, or he was lost. Both were just as likely but it made no difference. Adrenaline or not she was gaining on him fast and it was only a matter of time before she caught up.

"Whatever you heard, you don't understand." She mocked, gaining on him.

Splintnose turned a corner and she followed…

… and hit a pillar.

"Sucker!" Shouted the sable, shooting past her and back the way they came.

Vera growled and pulled her muzzle free of the miniature crater she had created on impact. Why did she even _have_ that many pillars? And why were they so easy to damage?

Ignoring the logistics of her villa (to be fair she wasn't the architect), she went back to chasing her quarry.

Splintnose would have been a sweating, panting heap of dirty white fur if not for his survival instincts (which refused to let him stop no matter how tired he got) and the thought of never seeing Tian Yi ever again. He hadn't even managed to get her a flower… he couldn't die now! He had to make her smile first!

That, however, didn't seem likely. Not with an angry Vera only a few feet away.

"Gotcha! Hey Vera I-" Inkling would have finished with 'got him' but the she-wolf was moving too fast to stop.

"Idiot!" She screamed, as she came crashing into him. All three rolled along the floor in a tangle of limbs until they hit a pillar and came to a halt.

Splintnose, being both the smallest and used to getting wrapped up in fur and flesh (his fellow bandits were useless, what else could he say?) burst from the pile and sprinted down the hallway once more. Vera followed suite but Inkling had to wrestle down a minor concussion before he could follow.

Not even the power of love was enough. Cynical though that sounded, Splintnose could not outrun the two forever, and he was beginning to run out of things for them to comedically bump into.

Luckily for him, he was especially lucky today and happened across an open door, wide open and with the key on the lock. It was a gift from Cupid himself no doubt. He darted inside just as Vera snapped her jaws shut over where his tail had been and slammed the door shut on her face, turned the key round twice and threw it inihis mouth to swallow whole for good measure. It would hurt his throat a lot and would hurt his stomach more, but as long as he lived-

He nearly choked on the key when he realized he had just locked himself in with Bei the Black, a slaver he recognised instantly.

"If you hadn't barged in I'd have had him by now." Vera was saying.

"You barged _me_ last time I checked." There came the sound of a slap. "Alright, alright, I'll pick the lock."

There was no need to do so. Splintnose slammed the key inside the keyhole, but before he could spin it, Bei had already kicked the door off it's hinges.

"Run!" Screamed the sable to his former pursuers. Neither Vera or Inkling had expected the door to slam into them and were consequently dazed. It may have been the most classic method of escape, but they hadn't expected such a small mammal to pack such a punch. Both sobered up instantly upon catching sight of Bei and the lean panda's massive fan.

Fear did wonders for speed and Splintnose was soon trailing far behind the two he'd been outrunning only moments before, with Bei hot on his heels.

"Wait for me!" The sable whined, but neither made any move to obey.

* * *

"Break those doors! Rah rah rah! Goooo Weeper!" The albino leopard continued to batter himself against the ironwood doors, ignoring as best he could the mounting pain along his arms, knees and face (the doors were after all, ironwood). The support of his fellow slavers was surprisingly helpful, perhaps he'd been wrong to consider killing them all... Although it would have been nice of them to help with the door a little more.

Inside the 'safe' room, more and more ridiculous survival suggestions were being passed around.

"Let's surrender!"

"I didn't want to die!"

"Don't eat me!"

"Shut up and focus!"

"We need to find weapons."

"What if I try to seductively trick them? Cats are seductive, right?"

"Maybe I should break the window?"

Well they weren't all suggestions...

Nevertheless they had no more time to discuss potential battle plans as at that moment the ironwood door broke open and the couch was kicked aside and the planks head-butted through by a very purple Weeper (the ironwood had taken a lot out of him).

Green-eyes screamed, Blacktooth wet himself and a burly tiger threw a stool at the Weeper. It missed by a wide margin, but the Weeper could sense the intent and snarled.

"Calm down Weeps. I'll handle public relations." The langur stepped smoothly past the enraged albino (who did not appreciate the nickname), cleared his throat and did his best impression of Crotos Quillus. "You are all slaves now. Be grateful. Freedom is overrated. And you're making me rich, so that's a bonus. All in all you should be h-"

The hairy pig and manly-voiced dog barged past the simian and stomped towards Surya, rather unthreateningly. "Hello brat! Remember me! Ha! I'm going to beat you blood-"

"After you pay for him." The langur reminded, holding them back.

"For what? We already bought him once!"

"Then you lost him. Now you're buying again." The Weeper grunted.

"That's not fair." Blacktooth pointed out.

"Shut it!" The manly-voiced dog demanded. Then she turned to the leopard. "That's not fair!"

"That's what I said!" The fat sable complained. "You know what? It is fair! Make her pay double!"

"I like that idea." The langur admitted. "Alright. The slaves are now three times more expensive."

"That's not what double means!" The hairy pig growled.

"Double is _four_ times more." Green-eyes pointed out. "He's giving you a good deal."

"He's trying to sell us." Tian Yi spoke through gritted teeth, but noone seemed to notice her.

The Weeper, too, had clenched his jaw tightly shut. "Stop communicating, or else our prey will find some means of escape." He raised his spear and hurled it at the wall next to a toad who had been trying to silently inch away. It quivered on the spot until the amphibian swallowed audibly. "Get them." The leopard snarled, his claws shooting out of their natural sheaths.

Tian Yi froze in place, like a cat faced with headlights… not that anyone knew what headlights were…

Padma however, did not, and picking up a pillow, brought it swiftly into the feline's face. How she had managed to get it that high was anyone's guess, but noone had time for guesses.

One of Vera's tigers seized the moment and brought his fist into the Weeper's jaw. Green-eyes screamed and dived behind the couch- he was only mildly surprised when Tian Yi joined him. The next thing anyone knew was that the once calm living room had become a violent brawl-pit.

Surya, against his better judgement, and no doubt his mother's advice, went straight for the manly-voiced dog. The… canine (whom Surya was ashamed to even think of as a canine) never saw him coming. Which wasn't much of a surprise considering the biggest part of him were his ears. His tiny vulpine fist, which in his dreams could level entire mountain ranges… didn't even knock a tooth loose. It seemed to annoy her more than anything.

"Why you little bra-" His next attack was a bit less impressive, but far more effective. Spit was a powerful weapon in the paws of a child... Or in the eyes of an enemy. "You little s-" Equally unfair, but even more effective was the foot-stomp. The dog wasn't much bigger than him so even his minuscule weight sent her hopping on one foot. From there it was all too easy to- with a flourish for extra showmanship- sweep her off her feet and into the floor.

He crossed his paws and gave the single most smug smirk in his arsenal of facial expressions- which was vast because emoting was his only form of communication.

"Remember me?" The langur slaver, whom Surya did indeed remember (although he hadn't really done anything too impressive) grabbed one of his long ears and twisted cruelly. "Nothing personal. Just want to get rich. You know, illegally. Lots of fun to be had in cri-"

Now was not the time for fancy flourishes. He had known Sanjay for the majority of his life, and if the jackal had taught him anything it was that the only place worth hitting someone you couldn't beat in a fair fight was 'between the legs'. Which is what Surya did. Twice. In a row. In swift succession.

"Now…" The primate wheezed, his monkey hands clutching a groin in pain… "It's personal."

Surya desperately wanted to say something badass- the way Shade always did. Something like 'it was always personal'. As it was, the mute decided to poke the simian's eyes.

The langur screamed, tripped over his own tail and fell over.

"Doggy pile!" Shouted a tiger, and no less than four of the felines pounced upon the hapless slaver. In hindsight it was more of a kitty pile.

The hairy pig was next on Surya's list of vengeance. The great, stinking swine was distracted by a pair of toads he was duelling, and as such, Surya found it easy to sneak up on him- vase in paw. Leaping up as high as his small form could allow, the fennec kit brought the porcelain weapon into his opponent's skull. It broke, and the pig turned to him, glowering. He shouldn't have done that however, for he had exposed his back to the toad's, who promptly brought a stool down on him. High-fives were thrown around by the trio of fighters, only for the toads to be swept aside by the gharial slaver's tail and for said tail to slam into the top of Surya's skull.

The desert fox fell over, black spots coming and going from his line of sight. Then, to his horror, the manly-voiced dog stood over him, and brought a foot sharply down upon his nose. He yelped in pain, but it did not end there. Another fist, another blow, until his lungs were empty and he was coughing blood. Panic was beginning to take over, but he didn't want to let it. He didn't want to get lost. He didn't want to get stuck in some other body.

"Thought you had me, didn't you." She spat viciously. "It doesn't matter. You can't beat me. You know it. You'll submit like all the rest." Her paws were tightening around his throat now, in a grip that was vice-like and deadly. "I will bend you to my will whether you like it or not. Now… let's start simple. Call me… _daddy_!"

Surya, despite the lack of air, pulled a face. He was, in that moment, forced to reconsider all he thought he knew about this animal… Moreover he had no way of telling her that he was a mute.

But the world was going dark. He could not hold it back any longer. He panicked and left his form behind.

 _Somehow, the knowledge of what was going on made the experience more frightening. He bounced from a dozen different, faceless, shapeless, even colourless forms, all of whom sent him hurtling through space and time. Some he tried to barge through, but they fought back and threw him off, and Surya did his best to avoid them. He did not want to fight for control, not when he knew how easy it was to get lost in another's mind. And especially now that his body-_ he _\- was in mortal peril._

 _Yet, eventually, he had to go somewhere. It was just his luck that that somewhere let him in and fled away without so much as a struggle. The fennec found himself in a strange room. If it could be called a room. He was inside someone's head after all. It was empty, save and except for a chair and several dozen buttons and levers of various colours. The chait was soft and red and no-doubt comfortable. Frowning ever-so-slightly, for this was at once horrible and too good to be true, Surya sat upon the chair, and felt himself take over._

* * *

Blacktooth, like everyone else in the room, was overcome with wrestle-mania. Unfortunately, like nearly everyone else in the room, he wasn't particularly good at it. So barely a minute into the brawl, a crocodilian tail came for his face and threw him across the room and over the couch. He lay flat on his face for a long while after, but eventually pushed himself to his feet, determined to sink his sharp sable teeth into the same crocodile's ass. Then he would understand pain.

He found Green-eyes, curled up in a ball besides him, and Tian Yi, pale-faced, wide-eyed and spaced-out. Frankly they both looked possessed.

"Are you guys okay?" He was compelled to ask. Compelled? Oh no! It was taking him over too!

"No!" Tian Yi whimpered. "I'm not okay! I-I- can barely move! All I can think- I can't- I can't do anything."

She was definitely possessed. Blacktooth tried to back away, but found he had landed in a corner. He would now have to reason with the spirit... Or perform an excorsism but he wasn't sure how to do that…

"It's okay. Er- you don't have to do anything. Just er- be a good spirit. Good ghost. Don't bite the sable. He may be fat but he doesn't taste good. S-smells worse."

Tian Yi opened and closed her paws. That much she could still do, but she could not stop them from shaking, let alone use them. Padma, Surya, her brothers and the other kids were all relying on her... And she was too scared to do anything.

"Right, I'm going to fight. Nobody possess me please." Blacktooth tiptoed past Green-eyes, breathing a sigh of relief when he was not overtaken.

" _You_ are going to fight?" The wolf barked. "That has got to be the stupidest thing I ever heard."

The sable shrugged. "I've got to contribute. Besides, I owe someone a tail whack." The sable waved his tail behind him, unaware that it would do next to nothing useful in combat. "You should fight too. You'd be good at it."

Something seemed to overtake the wolf, who immediately shot to his feet, battle stance at the ready, threw back his head and laughed.

Blacktooth screamed. "Gramdmaaaaa! Ghost got Green-eyes! Ghost got Green-eyes!"

It was only after running into a wall in panic, that he remembered that his grandma wasn't there.

 _Surya could not suppress a loud cackle. Every inch of this new form radiated power. He felt huge! And was huge! Inside the mind of Green-eyes the little fennec leaned back in the super-comfy chair, and imagined a very large cup of lassi- complete with straw straws. Lo and behold it appeared._

The huge, blue-eyed wolf's first target was the manly-voiced dog. Vaulting over the couch he caught hold of the chandelier, and swung right into the, as his new, more vulgar form would say, bitch. She went right through an adjacent wall with a scream, and suddenly all eyes were on him. It was probably because the chandelier had come crashing down... Or because of the dog-shaped hole in several walls.

"We're saved!" Padma cheered.

The gharial slaver was next and swung his tail at Surya's, or rather Green-eyes' feet. The wolf hopped over it, as if it were a skipping rope- complete with the arm-waving of little children. In retaliation, the lupine-vulpine slammed his foot down on the crocodile's toes, spun his arm around and uppercut the gharial into the ceiling.

"CALL A PRIEST! THE GHOST KNOWS HOW TO FIGHT! THE GHOST KNOWS HOW TO FIGHT!" Blacktooth continued screaming. He had known Green-eyes since they had been babies together. Sure the wolf was big- but he'd never won a fight before. Let alone so… effortless…

"He's on our side." A toad pointed out.

"I say we cheer for him!" Cried Padma, and Vera's tigers did.

Green-eyes froze suddenly, and was unable to avoid the Weeper's fly-kick. The wolf hit the wall and was still. The cheering stopped abruptly.

 _"Hey. This is my head." The sound took Surya by surprise, and the fennec looked up to see the big wolf standing over him. "What are you doing in my head?" The lupine demanded, his arms crossed._

 _Surya did not get a chance to reply, for the Weeper was coming at him fast. No worries, he could dodge. Suddenly a joystick grew from one of the armrests... Not that anyone knew what a joystick was._

 _But it was clearly made for the purpose of dodging! The fennec grabbed it at the same time as Green-eyes, and both twisted… in opposite directions._

 _The whole 'room' shook violently, and crashed into a wall. Both Surya and Green-eyes winced. The Weeper's blow had been strong enough to hurt their shared subconscious._

 _"Damnit pipsqueak! Get out of my head!" The big wolf grabbed Surya by the scruff and threw him across the room, before hastily sitting on the chair and slamming no less than fifteen different buttons._

The fighting had drawn to a halt. Not because either side were tiring, but because Green-eyes and the Weeper were the central focus of all present.

The leopard had wrenched his bone spear from the wall and swung it at the lupine's skull. The burly wolf, however, managed to grab hold of the weapon before it could do any damage, and pulled the leopard's face into his rising knee. Blood exploded from the albino's already bruised nose. Snarling, the Weeper's claws tore open the wolf's chest, eliciting a cry of pain from said wolf. Several kicks followed until Green-eyes lay upon the ground.

"Good! Kill the ghost! Kill! Kill it!"

"Why are you rooting for him!?"

 _Green-eyes hopped off the chair, his paws clasped tightly over his face. "I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die." He half-paced, half-ran around the seat of control. Surya frowned slightly, but did not want to know what death felt like… even if it wasn't technically his. The kit hopped back into the chair just in time to catch the Weeper's incoming fist in his own. Or rather, Greeneyes'._

The big wolf managed to raise his elbow in time to block the Weeper's next fist and retaliated with a punch of his own that winded the feline.

 _Surya leaned forwards and pressed the 'attack' button._

The Weeper was unable to avoid a powerful right hook to the face.

 _He leaned backwards and hit the button._

Or the jab to his ribs that came a fraction of a second later.

 _Surya sunk further into the soft pillows, so that only his ears and his little paws were visible. Still, they did not need to be visible to press the 'attack' button._

Green-eyes continued to press his advantage, landing a headbut, followed swiftly by a pair of a hundred and eighty degree swings.

 _Surya pulled himself free of the pillows to reach the joystick and spun it around._

The massive lupine performed a sloppy, but effective, roundhouse kick.

The Weeper fell to the floor with barely a groan and lay still.

 _"Okay! This looks like fun. My turn!" Green-eyes sat down firmly upon the chair, and by extension the fennec. Ignoring the fox's pathetic attempts to throw him off and regain control, he grabbed the joystick and slammed several buttons._

The blue-eyed wolf threw himself upon the slavers with a renewed vigor, throwing haphazard punches left and right.

 _Surya was disgusted by the lack of skill on display. The wolf didn't even know how to use his own body properly! He didn't even try and avoid the attacks that came his way, and was lucky to have lasted nearly a full minute in combat._

The hairy pig was charging, a pair of sharp daggers in his hooves.

 _Green-eyes did not panic this time, he didn't notice either but luckily did not stop Surya's arms popping free of his weight._

 _The fox slammed his paw over the big red button that said 'kick' just in the nick of time, and watched the swine crash through a wall._

 _"Good job kid!" Green-eyes ruffled the fur between his ears. It would have been a more affectionate gesture if he wasn't still squashing him._

"Stop!" Came the Weeper's raspy snarl. The albino looked nothing short of demented. Covered in blood, with ruffled fur and a missing tooth, the leopard held in one paw a knife, and in the other, Padma. "No more! Stop fighting or the girl dies."

Luckily, rescue came in the form of Tian Yi. Or rather, the vase she brought down hard upon the Weeper's head. Normally, nothing as puny as a flowerpot could bring down the Weeper. But he'd been battered first by the ironwood doors and then by Greeneyes.

He didn't even try to get up upon hitting the floor. Not like he could have anyways…

"We surrender!" The rest of the slavers cried in unison, and threw down their weapons.

 _"Okay kid. You can get out now." Green-eyes stood up and lifted Surya by the scruff. A door opened in front of them, and ignoring the fox's squirming, the wolf threw him out._

Surya sat up with a gasp, and patted himself all over, just to make sure that his long ears, fluffy tail and scruffy fur were, well, _his._ When it became apparent that he was back in his own body he gave a tremendous sigh of relief and fell back upon the floor, exhausted.

Green-eyes too, collapsed, breathing heavily. "What… in… the… name… of… cheese… was… that?" He sat up to glare at Surya, the fox kit that had invaded his head, but was interrupted by Blacktooth.

"You were _awesome_ Greeneyes! You fought off that burnt leopard and the ghost that was possessing you! Man, grandma won't believe any of this!"

Vera Darkrose burst into the room, her nose bent badly, as if she had run into a pillar or something. "We need to leave. Right now!"

"Crazy bear-thing." Inkling panted. "More guys outside. And there's a massive army coming our way!"

* * *

 _Footnote: If I had to critique this chapter I'd say that the Weeper is a little underused. To be honest I still don't really have a 'style' for him. Which is going to have to change soon. I mean, he's not going to fight anymore but I do have... Plans... For him..._

 _But we're still not done and Bei (the *real* powerhouse on team slaver) is still running rampant so more fights will follow soon. That is, the next time I update._

 _Now in regards to Surya. Possession is such an abstract concept that I had a lot of fun figuring out all the 'rules' so to speak. You'll note that his previous two possessions, Licky and The Weeper weren't basically Mechas. Basically what I came up with was that because Greeneyes is as dumb as they come and a coward, he is remarkably easy to take over. Hence, the chair. But the main difference is that Surya now kind of gets what's going on, so his mind is rationalising his abilities and the back and forth fight for control into buttons and levers and a comfy chair rather than a confusing and oppressive darkness that has no form._

 _That's me, clearing up my inconsistency. Although I did plan this from the beginning (it's another reason I kept Green-eyes alive) and probably ranks as one of my trippier fight scenes. All the italicized stuff is what's happening inside Green-eyes' head (Surya's rationalising of it anyways) and those not in italics is what's happening in 'reality'. Also, Greeneyes is strong. He just... Doesn't know how to use his strength._

 _As for the title: Splintnose's scene is another Tom and Jerry-esque chase scene, so parody. Surya and Greeneyes is a mecha parody. Blacktooth farting is a parody of a Heinz beans advert (not for astronauts) and Tian Yi talking about Splintnose is a parody of some of those 'reality' TV shows where they talk about relationships._

 _That and I couldn't think of a better title._


	35. Life Is A First Date Gone Wrong

"Okay." Quillus whispered as the sounds of battle raged on just outside the door. "There's a big fight going on outside. We'll use the distraction to sneak out of this hell-hole of a city and then run as far away as possible." He took a deep breath and opened the door. "We just have to be quiet so that noone notices us-"

"There he is!" Shouted Putana, hurling her cleaver at him. Quillus did not even flinch when it struck the wall next to him. Her accuracy was getting worse it seemed. "Get him!"

The porcupine only just managed to slam the door shut in time, as no less than fifty sharp, bladed projectiles slammed into it with avengeance.

"That was way too close for comfort!" He squeaked, shaking in fear.

Then the door shook wildly, as his enemies began to beat it like a drum.

Licky took off into a side-room.

"Hey! Hey come back! Licky! I can't hold this door alone! I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna di-aow!" The door was shoved open with great force, and slammed Quillus into the wall.

In strolled the deranged-looking feline Quillus had faced earlier. "Ohoho, hiding are we?" It took a deep sniff of the air. "Nice try, but I can smell you. Your fear is intoxicating and you were intoxicating to begin with." Without further ado the feline turned and slammed the door shut. There was nowhere to run anymore, Quillus was pinned to the door by his own cursed spines. Down crouched the feline, so that they were almost nose-to-nose. "Nothing personal but you have a lot of meat on your bones."

Quillus whimpered and shut his eyes as the feline opened wide.

A growl stopped him in his tracks. The deranged-looking feline spun round to find Licky, fully-armoured and enraged. Before Quillus got so much as a scratch, the ambiguous feline was bitten on the leg and dragged away by the furious bear. In the dim light Quillus could only see vague-outlines of ripped-out intestines and torn-off arms.

It was a rather gruesome sight, but Quillus had seen worse. Plus it was fittingly ironic that bits of cannibal would end up between her teeth. And much more preferable to bring eaten alive himself.

"Nothing personal." Quillus couldn't resist saying as Licky crushed and tore the screaming feline apart. "But she's the only one allowed to lick me."

And, fittingly, as soon as she was done with the now-deceased cannibal, she licked him. Quillus, not the cannibal.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Next time you go and get armour though, tell me first!" Licky blinked, knowing full well that was impossible. "I thought you abandoned me, okay? I was scared- you know I have issues. Now get me out this door"

Locking her jaws over his middle as gently as was possible and being mindful of her sharp, blood-stained teeth, she gently tugged him out of the door. Quillus came free with several small popping sounds, like a thousand tiny bottles being uncorked. As soon as he was free, she licked him again and he was a little sick of it now.

"Will you stop doing that?" The porcupine complained. She didn't stop until Quillus shoved her nose away. "I said stop it! Okay? We're on a battlefield and if I die I don't want it to be covered in spit."

Licky drooped down and let her eyes widen into the irrefutable puppy-dog eyes she'd been doing since she was a cub.

"One more. That's it." Quillus said, avoiding eye contact.

One lick later he sat atop of her, idly scratching behind one of her ears.

"I'm probably going to regret this, but the quickest way out is through that door. You've got armour on and I'm a survivor..." A particularly loud battle cry from behind the door told him that going through there was definitely not a good idea. "So if there's no backdoor we'll go that way, b-but hopefully there's a backdoor. Or multiple!"

* * *

"But we can't leave." Blacktooth was saying as everyone started leaving. "What about my bro?" Noone seemed to hear him so the fat sable repeated the question, more stubbornly this time. "What about my bro!?"

"He's drawing the fire." Vera explained as, her composure regained, she beckoned the occupants of the room out. "Distracting the crazy bear thing so we can leave."

Blacktooth was momentarily dumbstruck. It was not like Splintnose to make noble sacrifices. Then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Is he doing that on purpose?"

Vera paused momentarily.

 _*Flashback*_

 _"Guys wait for me! Slow down! Hey! Which way did you go!?" Splintnose raced past the hall Vera and Inkling had darted into, the black bear thing slowly catching up to him._

 _*Flashback*_

"Yes." The she-wolf replied, without a trace of hesitation. "He said he could outrun anything and wanted to buy us all time to escape."

"But how's _he_ going to get out then?" Blacktooth insisted, refusing to be calmed.

"Through the door." Vera replied, growing slightly annoyed.

"But what if he can't reach the handle?"

Inkling facepalmed. "You want your brother back, go get him. But nobody here is going to throw their life away for him."

"That is true." Green-eyes said, standing up. "Please point me towards the exit."

"But Greenie! You're the strongest guy here! You can beat up a bear thing any day!"

The big wolf glared. "I have already saved everyone else! Be grateful!"

"But my bro-"

"I'll get him." Tian Yi snapped, far louder than she had expected to. Suddenly everyone present stopped evacuating and looked in her direction. She raised a paw before anyone could ask any questions or jump to conclusions. "Not because I love him or anything like that- I- I- I'm going now, okay? Surya, Padma, stay together and stay with these guys. Get out of the city. I'll catch up."

If the bear thing was who she strongly suspected it was that was highly unlikely. But she was sick of running and hiding and cowering. She had done nothing for the mission so far and planned on changing that right now. She would rescue Splintnose and overcome her insurmountable fear and kick something. And then the next time her siblings went on a rescue mission she could help out… although hopefully there would be no rescue missions in the near future.

It was definitely not because of love, although no doubt the rumours would persevere. So long as Sanjay didn't get his paws on them…

It did not take her long to find Splintnose, and when she did, the albino threw himself into her 'waiting' paws. The hug was brief, both because she did not return it (too preoccupied widening her eyes in horror at the sight of Bei) and because he did not have the best of grips.

"I knew you'd come back for me!" Splintnose forgot entirely about Bei. This was the best thing he could have asked for. It was not exactly a smile but the fact that she was willing to risk life and limb for him was somehow much better! And it gave him the confidence needed to, while going rose red and staring at the floor, his paws rubbing his blushing cheeks, ask her out. "This might seem a little sudden, b-but I-I- was just, I was wondering if you'd do me the honour of-"

It was just then that he remembered Bei. Despite being a panda, his pursuer was in excellent shape and frighteningly fast and now that he'd stopped running, very close.

"Running for your life!"

Tian Yi was two steps ahead of him, rather literally, but Bei was now in striking distance. The black-furred panda hurled her fan with avengeance (or rather, copious amounts of anger and rage). Tian Yi did not dodge so much as fall over but it saved her life all the same.

The pillars were less lucky. The disc, as if trying to show off how sharp it was (or, alternatively, how badly made the pillars were) sliced through them with ease. Most toppled like cards, but one or two managed to stand upright- until the disc came back around and tore them off too.

Bei caught her weapon and flipped it back into fan form, and now began to approach at a slower pace. She needed these slaves alive. Which, in hindsight, made dropping a bunch of pillars on them seem stupid.

Luckily for all parties involved Tian Yi and Splintnose were miraculously unharmed. Terrified, yes. Scrambling over and around the fallen pillars, yes. But that was better than the alternative.

Still, Bei growled. Her offensive streak had not done her any favours, and now blocked the path to her quarry. Pandas were good climbers, but usually much slower. Bei had already gotten halfway through the pillar pile by the time Tian Yi and Splintnose (who was waiting for her) reached the end.

Luckily for the albino and his beloved, the roof, unstable due to the loss of it's pillars, decided to collapse on Bei.

"Woohoo! We've got a panther pancake on our paws now! Do you think we can-" Splintnose's cheer ended at the sound of Bei roaring. The roof might have slowed her down but it had also made her angrier than usual. Which was not good when survival was your top priority.

As fast as a hummingbird's flapping wings, Tian Yi and Splintnose turned and sprinted away.

* * *

"We're all in agreement though, aren't we? Aprons are valuable pieces of equipment and a fine form of clothing. They cover up the abdomen and torso very well, while leaving a nice fresh breeze around your hips-"

"For the love of whoever God is." One of the slavers, currently reading about some Western religions of interest he could perhaps make money from, snapped. "We get it. You like to walk around naked and you love aprons. Now will you please shut up."

The bunny growled and spied an abandoned knife cart in the distance. Stomping over he picked a long, sharp blade, determined to stab the uncultured swine. Aprons were clothes, and very fashionable.

Before he could stab anything, however, a small armada of slaves came charging in from the street. Deliberately stomping over him, or so it felt like, they emptied the shop of weapons and went back the way they came.

Miraculously, the rabbit was still alive, although his apron was now torn in several places and barely hanging on.

"Useless!" He shouted, and hopped to the top of Vera's staircase. "Listen up all of you! You just let a bunch of slaves stampede right past you! How stupid do you feel?"

Before anyone could answer, the (ironwood) door was slammed over him and Vera Darkrose and her tigers (plus Inkling, Green-eyes and the kids) stampeded right past the group of befuddled slavers.

Blacktooth, who was pulling up the rear (already sweating profusely) was slammed hard into the ground by one vicious gorilla.

"I got this one boys, you head for the rest!"

By pure good fortune a bed flew out one of the windows and although it broke over the gorilla's head, it still knocked him out.

Blacktooth, holding his pants up to prevent them from falling down, shot off far faster than someone of his weight ought to have been capable of. Leaving the slavers all sorts of confused.

* * *

Unable to permanently outrun Bei, the two had decided to try their luck at hiding. The expression was you can hide, but you can't run, after all, wasn't it?

Of course, hiding was so much easier if the person you were hiding with wasn't talking so much.

"If it's any consolation." Splintnose was whispering. "There's noone I would rather die alongside. I mean, I don't _wanna_ die but it'd be kinda poetic if we meet our ends together, don't you think?"

"Poetic? I barely know you!" Tian Yi hissed back.

The sable's ears flattened. "I know! I know! Sorry, that was stupid. I don't want you to die poetically. O-or at all- gah, I'm sorry. I just can't help it. You're prrrretty."

Even if she did end up surviving Bei the Black and the aforementioned army approaching this was likely to be the only chance she had at rationalising the sable's crush on her. "So you like me because I'm pretty, is that it?" A 'yes' would be easier to reject but a 'no' made no sense because they didn't know each other…

"Well… yes… and no?" The sable bit his lip. He had to be very careful with what he said here, lest he accidentally say something stupid. "I- I don't get it either. Love lightning? Cupid's arrow? I just saw you an-and my heart melted an-and then you saved my life like three times and your brother pulled teeth out of my butt." He could not make himself look at her. "The only girls I ever talked to were my grandma and Secrat and the occasional lady I robbed but those were rare, and mostly they'd stuff a purse down my throat... And I'm not like horny or anything… I mean I could be? I've nev-never f-felt like this before so I don't even know what it is. But I-er love you. I just do." There was a long pause wherein neither Tian Yi or Splintnose spoke. The former was mulling over all that had been said, the latter was wondering if he'd accidentally said something stupid.

"I-Is that, um, a decent answer?"

Tian Yi opened her mouth to reply but shut it again when the door burst open and in stomped a growling Bei.

Barely a second later the bed was lifted off the ground and thrown out if the window with extreme prejudice. Unbeknownst to all present, it saved Blacktooth's life.

"M-maybe we should have hidden under the blankets." Splintnose squeaked.

Bei raised a leg and tried to stomp Tian Yi into the floorboards. She would have succeeded too, had the jackal not rolled out of the way. Splintnose, his love for Tian Yi clouding his judgement (common sense and survival instincts) bit that very same leg with his exceptionally small fangs. Bei kicked him into a wall which he hit with a splat and a groan, before sliding slowly to the floor.

Tian Yi ducked Bei's incoming warfan and rolled out of the way of the second swing, but was grabbed by the tail and swung into Splintnose- just as the sable cut the chandelier loose.

The metal head, all the candles, even the chain holding it up, stood no chance against Bei's head.

"That usually works." Came Splintnose's muffled voice before Bei kicked the two through the wall. Tian Yi and Splintnose hit the floor running (well what they actually did was hit the floor, groan in pain for a bit, remember Bei and then run for their lives again).

"So…" Splintnose began. "We're both going to die so I'm going to start ticking off my bucket list... Er- um- j-just for references… D-does this count as a date?"

* * *

 _Footnote: There are quite a lot of running gags or rather tropes that I use in my fics. Ironwood doors and furniture are basically indestructible, chandeliers falling on someone is an instant knock-out etc etc As you can see I'm playing a little bit with that in these finale chapters. Still quite a few to go actually but it's neater to cut it off here and I have quite a bit of the next few chapters already done so all is good._


	36. Life Is Hide-And-Seek Horror

As soon as the slaves got out of the arena, the battle became less a contest of arms, and far more of a victory lap. Shade was at the head of the growing armada of slaves- who were being joined from all sides (and even from a few windows) by chained reinforcements. Ashtar's guards, more used to bullying than dueling, were easy pickings for the freedom-hungry escapees. And their rescuers.

Shade had vanished, taking on the slavers as they had come and (rather literally) cutting a path for all to follow. The last time Dianbo had seen him the black jackal had no less than eight javelins sticking out of his chest. Although, they _hadn't_ done a very good job slowing him down.

"Wait, I juzt remembered. Where'z everyone elze?" Sanjay asked, filling his pockets with all sorts of oddments and prank projectiles he had found on a cart. His paws were moving too fast for the naked eye to see, but Dianbo was pretty sure he'd acquired at least three new whoopee cushions...

"Vera Darkrose's villa." Dianbo explained, his stump repeatedly smacking a crocodile across the face. While Sanjay was busy re-supplying it was up to him to provide cover. "Tian Yi's there. So are the bandits. And the toads. And Padma and Surya."

Sanjay paused. "Izn't Vera Darkroze a zuper-evil maniac with a penchant for torture and betrayal."

"I see Quillus has told you all about her." The jackal grimaced, kicking the unfortunate reptile into a pile of groaning slavers.

"Yeah, zey don't like each ozer do zey? And where iz Quilluz anywayz?" At least three jars of ink and one that looked worryingly like skunk-stink, were pocketed.

* * *

Quillus found himself back where he'd began, facing the door and standing over the dead feline's mutilated corpse. "What do you _mean_ there isn't a back door!?"

* * *

"He wandered off." Dianbo replied, his spin-kick sending another hapless slaver into the growing heap. "And yeah, they're not friends." Now he fly-kicked his nameless opponent into a wall. "My turn to ask something. Is your nose that bad or are you doing that voice to annoy me?"

Sanjay's pause confirmed the latter theory, but his brother wasn't just going to _admit_ to it. "Maybe."

Dianbo sighed, his whip smacking an approaching rhino into the dirt. "I think I'm getting used to you."

"Awww! Come here bro!" The hug would have been more heartfelt if Sanjay hadn't unpant-sed him.

"There is no getting used to you, is there?" Dianbo scowled, his paw determinedly holding up his dignity (and hiding his underwear), while his brother went around whipping slavers with his belt.

"I don't think anyone ever has." The prankster said with a shrug.

"I think I'm going to get the others then..."

"I'll go left. See you outside!" And with that Sanjay tossed him his belt and raced off to join the chaos.

* * *

"You still didn't answer my question." Splintnose whispered timidly. He and Tian Yi had now taken shelter in a library store cupboard- one that was about the size of a room anyways. Despite the space, a good deal of it was filled with all sorts of strange and irregular objects (amongst them spare blankets, old candles, ugly vases, a broom or two) and so the two were sharing an almost uncomfortably small amount of space. Thankfully neither of them were particularly big and their species weren't known for large sizes anyways.

But it was still a little awkward.

"What question?" Tian Yi whispered back irritably.

"Does this count as a date or not?" One scathing look later and Splintnose averted his eyes to the floor. "Sorry that was a stupid question. I should have realized hiding from a creepy panther-bear thing doesn't count as a date." He held up a small candle who's flame was guttering out. "Even if it's candlelit and we're about to be dinner." The candle promptly died and took it's light with it. "Maybe not candlelit..."

For a grand total of fifty seconds Splintnose was quiet. But he could not bear to contain all the questions threatening to burst out of him.

"Have you ever been on a date? I haven't. Nah-ah. Not even sure what counts as one, but you already know that. You've probably had loads, n-not that you're the type of girl to lead guys on o-or anything like that, b-but prrrretty girl like you b-bound to have a few."

 _Or_ one _that won't shut up._ Thought Tian Yi, but she did not say that. "Actually I'm about as experienced as you."

She could not see him in the darkness (despite her excellent night vision, he was still facing the floor) but Tian Yi was certain that the comparison had made him blush, or given him a mini-heart attack.

"I-I, that's not a good thing." Splintnose managed to choke out. "I'm probably the most inexperienced person ever- at everything." No, no, no! Now he'd gone too far into self-deprecation!

Tian Yi frowned. "You can't be that bad."

"I-I-I-" If he said he _was_ then she'd think he was depressed. If he said he _wasn't_ he'd come off as arrogant. As wonderful and uplifting as her compliments were (a more poetic sable would describe the feeling as akin to floating on clouds) he never knew how to reply to them… "I- think you're right?"

"Right."

Splintnose flattened and raised his ears, trying to work up the courage necessary to ask her out. _One date, that's all I ask._ Began his mental rehearsal. _After that you can do with me as you wish. Just give me one chance, breakfast, lunch or dinner- your choice- to sweep you off your feet. Not literally. I mean, figuratively. Obviously I could try doing it literally but I lack the necessary muscle-power._ _I could exercise though. I'd exercise for you. If you want me to..._

No, no, no! He had to stop making everything about himself! A relationship had to be a _mutual_ expression of love and affection! One-way romances were the stuff of... well... he wasn't sure where they belonged. He was about to ask the she-jackal where exactly did unrequited love belong, but was worried he wouldn't like the answer. There was always the horrible possibility that she would say something rude and hurtful that would crush his lovesick heart- not that he'd blame her. After five minutes of silent courage-building, the white sable was ready to face whatever answer she had for him- unfortunately Tian Yi shoved her paw over his mouth at the sound of Bei's footsteps.

The she-jackal put a finger to her lips and Splintnose nodded in understanding. They had to be quiet. But his heartbeat- already irregular due to the close proximity of his beloved- refused to obey. He was quite sure Bei could hear it.

Tian Yi pointed at him, then at herself, and jerked her head in the direction of the library exit. If they could get out, and preferably lock Bei in, then they stood a chance at escape. Or they'd prolong their lifespan by five minutes- both were better than the alternative; a grizzly death shared in darkness... not that Splintnose minded the thought of dying in her paws. It was strangely fitting...

The store cupboard (Or was it actually a _room_ used for storage?) door came open with a click. To their panicked ears it was as loud as a thunderclap, but Bei was unlikely to have heard it. On tip-paw, they slunk past the shelves, not even daring to breathe. It was easily the scariest game of hide-and-seek either of them had ever played, mostly because a killer was the one searching for them. But also because it was dark and Vera's library felt empty, haunted even. Like a graveyard. Though hopefully it would not become _their_ graveyard.

The panda's footsteps seemed to come from everywhere at once, and much like their heartbeats, it was loud, as if coming ever closer.

Suddenly, the two pressed themselves against a pair of bookshelves, just as Bei turned the corner.

Pandas did not have excellent night vision (or vision in general), and Bei had not brought any candles. But she had heard muffled footsteps, and her nose was twitching in discomfort. She spun to face Splintnose.

Under the shadow of a massive book (ironically titled 'How Not To Die') the sable was invisible. His heart thumped loudly within his ribcage, as if attempting to burst through the bony prison, and he held his breath.

Tian Yi crept past the black panda. And found herself facing the exit. As tempting as it was to sprint out and away (and then get her tail back to Upma for good measure), the jackal could not abandon Splintnose now when he needed her most.

Bei crouched low and sniffed at the air. Was it truly her quarry, or a rotten book long since dilapidated that stunk so hard?

The albino could feel his lungs begin to itch in discomfort. His face was already pink from the pressure, and he was not sure how long he would be able to hold his breath for. Perhaps his best course of action was shouting 'Tian Yi, run!', and hope that in the time it took for Bei to kill him she'd be able to escape? But how long would it really take for Bei to kill him?

It was after a minute or two of this strained silence, that Splintnose exhaled. Had any other slaver been in Bei's position they'd have said something about (or coughed at) the smell of his breath. But the panda was made of stronger stuff and, snarling like a leopard, raised her fan. That would have been the end of Splintnose, had Tian Yi not grabbed him from the other side of the bookshelf.

"Y-you saved me?" He gasped. "Again!" It made his little heart swell with joy, and for a moment he was ignorant to the danger.

Until Bei bisected the whole bookshelf (and several dozen works of literature) in a blur of her fan and a shower of confetti (torn ink, but it looked similar enough).

Both screamed and dived out of reach of the panda's follow-up swing. But Bei had made one miscalculation in her efforts to seize them. And that was because she had never played with dominoes. The bookshelf she had sliced in half had crashed into another one- tipping it and all the scrolls within off-balance.

Rolls of parchment littered the ground, but Bei was still as blind as a bat. Stepping forwards, she slipped on one and landed heavily on her rump- in a stroke of comedic coincidence that would have made Sanjay swell with pride. Or laugh his head off. The latter was more likely.

The ever-falling bookshelves continued to topple over each other and Tian Yi only just managed to pull herself and Splintnose out of the way. There was a deafening crash followed by silence.

"Is she dead?" Splintnose asked hopefully. "If the falling didn't kill her I bet all the papercuts did! Wow! Y-you're amazing Tian Yi! I- I owe you my life!" He had to stop himself from saying 'Marry me!', but didn't have the courage to ask her out...

Bei's snarling face popped up between the shelves, a long gash was drawn over one cheek (paper cuts were dangerous things indeed) but she looked just as enraged as ever.

"Let's get out of here." Tian Yi took a deep breath. "I think I'm done with this city..."

* * *

The pair's next place of refuge was at the very top of Vera's villa, in a vast attic that was vast... and pretty much nothing else. A single spear and a shining chandelier were there only companions- and neither of them could share in the pair's terror. The attic wouldn't have been a bad hiding place, if it had any windows to crawl out from. The sole exit was also the sole entrance, and it lead one down a narrow stairway to a lonely hall in an empty part of the she-wolf's residence.

"She clearly has not studied architecture." Tian Yi muttered to herself, picking up the spear and giving it an experimental twirl. Predictably it fell and clattered loudly upon the ground. Bei had heard it, that much she was willing to bet her life on.

Splintnose had used their time together productively, having turned the chandelier into a high-powered booby-trap (while continuously throwing nervous glances in her direction) that would fly towards the door (and presumably Bei) the moment it opened. Now, however, he had nothing to do and was staring at her like she was some kind of demigoddess. Which was flattering. But also made her nervous because if this idiot was counting on her...

Picking up the spear she gave it another twirl. This time it did not fall from her grip.

"You're really good with that, you know?"

Tian Yi honestly had no reply ready for that. After about a minute of processing the sable's statement she shrugged. "We'll see, I guess. Just don't get your hopes up."

"Oh... I see it alright..." He purred as the vision manifested before his mind's eye.

 _Tian Yi was gorgeous as always, her fur flapping gently in the soft, cool, breeze of certain victory. She stood over the defeated panda's form, and even sent him a wink- one that made his heart flutter and himself, faint._

Alas, that was not how it went down. Bei burst through the door with a noticeable limp. Tian Yi gave a battle cry (literally, she had tears in her eyes) and charged forwards. The panda lazily sidestepped the initial charge and watched as the jackal fell down the stairs.

"You're going to pay for that." Splintnose snarled, releasing the chandelier-trap. The heavy candle-holder (complete with about two dozen candles) flew towards Bei at speeds that would have tortoises green with envy.

But the panda caught it effortlessly. All the time, and preparation, the calculations of velocity... made null and void by the strength of her one paw...

The albino did not know what to do. He chuckled nervously for about two seconds, before shooting past her (or rather, trying to). Bei did not let him, and with a decisive snap of her jaws, put an end to their game of cat and mouse.

Tian Yi watched in horror as the panda shook her head from side to side, releasing only to let the sable's bleeding form bounce from stair to stair and hit the ground with a soft whine. She still had the spear, but her paws were shaking and Splintnose was not moving. Bei limped down the staircase, determined to finish this.

So naturally, the jackal did the first thing that came to mind and jumped out the nearest window.

* * *

 _Footnote: The battle of battle block continues! Honestly not sure why these scenes were so hard to write but they were. Alas. But it's better than rushing the ending (which I almost did- wouldn't it be so much easier if I had just had Tian Yi and Splintnose leave with Darkrose and company?) And this story is nearly a hundred thousand words long... (when did THAT happen?)_

 _And I think the next chapter should be a whole lot easier. So expect this story to be finished... before July XD_


	37. Life Is A Rescue Mission

Having finished re-doing his belt (it was not an easy task with only one working paw) Dianbo crossed another side-street and was surprised to find himself in front of Vera's villa. His sense of direction must have been quite good... Or he'd conveniently gotten lucky. It didn't matter now.

"That's the second time you let a bunch of slaves walk right over you!" A rabbit was saying. This one did not look like a slaver- he wore merely the remnants of an apron and had paw-prints all over him,as if he'd been stepped- but he was surrounded by well-fed, clean-furred (albeit disheveled) animals that wore no collars and bore no chains.

They were slavers. And this was confirmed when one stood up and shouted (rather loudly) 'Oh look, it's a slave!' Then they all stood up and repeated the sentence in a dozen different dialects.

Dianbo sighed, cracked his whip and made short work of them.

Ridiculously short work of them.

It really couldn't have been put into words- but all that remained of them moments later was a groaning heap of entangled bodies.

As convenience would have it, Tian Yi burst from the window above. Inconveniently, there was nothing to stop her hitting the ground. Dianbo tried to catch her of course but he did not move as fast as gravity.

He winced upon impact. "You okay?" In hindsight it was a stupid question, but his sister was too weak to properly answer anyways.

Bei wasn't. "I am fine." The panda growled, landing behind the she-jackal, so that Tian Yi's groaning form lay between them. "You won't be." The slaver's fan opened, her eyes narrowed and for a second Dianbo thought they were having an awesome stare down (not that he'd ever describe it as such). It turned out Bei was just trying to intimidate him.

Charging forwards (faster than any panda should have been allowed to move) Bei swung for his middle. Had the blow connected he'd have been cut clean in half (her weapon had slashed up trees like cucumbers- he doubted his torso would be a challenge). Dianbo stepped out of the way of the first deadly swing, but found to his annoyance that it was the first of _many_.

Bei fought like a dancer, a mad dancer who had drunk several cups of rice wine too many, but a dancer nonetheless. Her movements were fluid, fast and precise- it would have been beautiful to watch if he wasn't her intended target.

The jackal felt his tail tap against the wall behind him. Sidestepping her downwards slice, he swung his leg into her knee. It had no visible effect on his opponent, who retaliated with an attempted decapitation. Again he managed to dodge, but her killing blows were coming too close for comfort. Retreating, Dianbo latched his whip around her leg. A sharp pull later and he'd brought Bei to her knees. The jackal followed up with a fly-kick to the face, one that knocked her tooth loose.

The panda spat it out with contempt, and slammed her fist into his muzzle. His teeth (or what was left of them anyways after all the fighting he'd done in this strange part of the world) broke in his mouth. He could taste blood, and coughed weakly, but Bei was not done yet. Rising to her feet, she planted a foot squarely in his chest. The jackal, not heavy by any standard, was catapulted and crashed into Vera's fountain.

Bei advanced, evidently hungry for bloody murder.

"You're a panda." Dianbo spluttered in Chinese, rising weakly to his feet. Perhaps he could talk his way out of this? Pandas were native to China, and he was Chinese...

Her fan- now in disc form- said otherwise as it sailed past his ears. The jackal scowled and tightened his grip on the whip- only for his back to be slashed open by Bei's returning discus.

"And you're dead." The aforementioned panda caught it and closed it back into fan form. There was no joy in her face, only hate and Dianbo guessed that any panda this far from China (and disguising their fur no less) didn't want their species mentioned. Or she was just angry. It was hard to tell with opponents.

Rushing forwards, Bei's violent offensive obliterated Vera's precious fountain. It had probably cost a fortune to build, but was incinerated in moments. Thankfully Dianbo _wasn't_. Un-thankfully, Bei punched him so hard he crashed against the Ironwood doors of the villa, and slid to the ground with a groan.

"You okay?" Tian Yi asked, worry written all over her pale face. He wasn't sure when exactly she had woken up- or how she seemed unharmed by the fall- but it didn't matter now.

"That's a stupid question." Was his slurred reply, as he pushed himself to his feet. "The others have probably left the city by now. You should go too."

"B-but I can't just leave you!" Her eyes were watering at the very thought. "An-and Splintnose-"

"We can't all be heroes Tian Yi." Adjusting his grip on the whip, Dianbo turned to scowl at Bei, who was staring back with equal contempt. Why she was not attacking now was a question to ponder on another day. "Get the sable and get out."

"But what about you?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, and shaking with fright.

"I'm a student of Master Flying Rhino." Was all he said.

Although Master Flying Rhino would be the first person to say something along the lines of 'you should _never_ pick a fight with someone who can whoop your ass'. But Master Flying Rhino had also taught him to protect those who needed him. And right now that commandment felt more important... even if it hurt a lot more.

* * *

 _"The streets of Ashtar are in absolute carnage today!"_

 _"Everything from overturned carts to dirty dishes and broken chains now paves the roads. Slaves everywhere are turning on their former masters and joining the stampeding horde of rag-clad and in many ways rag-tag escapees in their quest for freedom. Can they do it? Well, what do you think the chances are for this one?"_

 _"The peacekeepers of Ashtar really have their appendages full, but are beating back against the rising horde with cruelty only slavers can muster."_

A shield wall had been formed over Sanjay's chosen side-street. Bronze-tipped spears, strangely rectangular shields and a wall of bodies blocked off the main exit. The prankster had ordered the armada to halt (he'd shouted "STOP!" endlessly), lest they charge right into the spears- but the freed slaves were done taking orders from anyone and barreled right ahead (and all his straining, and the rows of dug-up sand he'd left in his wake had not slowed them down one bit). The street had not been wide to begin with, and it was either go forwards or be crushed by the stampede. He managed to avoid the spears but nevertheless found himself pressed flat against a shield wall with two armies trying their very hardest to squeeze him flat in what was the biggest barging match in the history of barging matches.

It was doubly humiliating when the whoopee cushions went off. He did not have the dignity to look the slaver opposite him in the eye. Hoist by his own prank...

Dianbo and Shade were out of sight, as were the kids.

 _As long as they got out…_

Breathing was getting more and more difficult now, and with every new slave and slaver joining in the difficulty level grew. It would have been ironic in a kind of stupid way if the people he was saving accidentally killed him.

Fortunately for him, he would never have to face that particular irony. Unfortunately, it was because a squadron of avians, clad in gold like the rest of Ashtar's peacekeepers, flew above the slave armada and loosed arrows upon it.

 _"Not a good sign for the underdogs here. Aerial support is never a good thing to fight against."_

 _"Especially when you don't have air support of your own."_

Many slaves were panicking now, and made to turn around and run back into their cells. This gave Sanjay a moment of respite from the pressure of the body wall. Alas, the moment was short-lived as the slaves determined to fight to the death pushed ever harder against Ashtar's finest.

 _"Defeat is certain."_ Said one of the bats, grimly. _"They're fighting a better equipped, better organized and better trained force. One wave of arrows scared off a third of them, the next will send half backwards, and by the fifth all will be running to their cells."_

 _"That sucks! I was rooting for these guys!"_

 _"Yeah, we'll probably be executed for supporting them."_

They would have been anyways, if not for the timely arrival of Crotos Quillus.

A small group of gladiators emerged from a side-street. The pudgy porcupine at the head, riding his huge bear. Sanjay had never expected to be so glad to see the former slaver. But he was. The peacekeepers were in chaos now, trying to fight a battle from two sides. Disciplined though they were, many slavers panicked. The flying archers did not know where to shoot anymore. Some fired at the slaves, some at Quillus' reinforcements. A few of these hit other slavers and the shield wall began to crumble.

Like the sun rising over a hill, or like a flood overcoming a sea wall, the former slaves stampeded forwards, crushing the unfortunate peacekeepers in their path. Sanjay was once more forced forwards but the going was more difficult now. The streets were littered with the dead and dying, and try as he might, they were hard to avoid. And soon, he fell.

The slaves did not seem to notice and continued to advance forwards. Many walked right over him, mistaking him for dead or just plain not knowing. The air was stomped out of his lungs by their frenzied footsteps and his vision was beginning to blur.

He was probably going to die too, he realized, with surprisingly little panic. He did not want to die but the prospect did not scare him as much as it might have. So long as his siblings got the children out it would be fine… Although he had wanted to try a few more pranks...

Suddenly, something bit down on the scruff of his neck and before he knew what was happening he could breathe again. Several deep breaths later he looked around to see Quillus smirking at him, looking far more smug than anyone had any right to be.

"You're welcome!" The porcupine declared. They were nose to nose, though that was because Sanjay wasn't standing and because Quillus stood atop Licky's head and the jackal was on her back.

"Thanks." Was all he managed to gasp. He'd been rescued... by Quillus?

"I already said you're welcome!" Quillus snapped. The porcupine jabbed a claw into the jackal's chest. "But don't think for a moment that I did that out of compassion. I am a truly selfish person and now we're _even!_ "

Sanjay narrowed his eyes slightly, but his face spread into a grin. "When did I ever save your life?"

Quillus growled and turned away. "Shut up! Okay? Never! Don't expect me to save your tail every time you get in trouble!"

"I... wasn't expecting that actually. Ever. But thanks anyway."

Suddenly, his rescuer spun round. "Wait a minute! You're not _him_ \- you're his dhokla brother!" The porcupine growled, as if he now regretted doing any kind of rescuing.

"So _Dianbo_ saved your life?"

"No he didn't, okay? Now shut up!"

"So why'd you save me?"

Licky threw him off, and in hindsight he should have seen that coming... There was nothing left to fight and the slaves were already a few dozen feet away. Everything had turned out nicely. It would have been even nicer if he'd managed to pull even one more prank off, but he supposed he'd have time for that in the future.

 _"The slaves are stampeding down the streets now, headed right for the gates of the city. If the guardsmen on the wall have any sense of intellect between them, they'll open the doors and let the slaves pass through."_

 _"They should probably hide under their beds for good measure."_

 _"That's not a bad idea."_

 _"Yeah, it looks like that's what they're doing."_

* * *

 _Footnote: And the climax is not quite over yet. Forgive me for this rather jumbled first act- their should only be three or so more chapters anyways. My point is. All that's left is one duel, and then the very long (but much easier to write) epilogue._


	38. Life Is A Conveniently-Placed Ballista

Dianbo's whip wrapped itself tightly around Bei's wrist. A swift pull left the panda's chest open for a decisive kick. Well. I would have been decisive if his opponent wasn't stupidly durable. He managed to retreat before she could carve his legs (and everything below the hip) into papadum, but was backhanded to the ground.

 _She's as strong as an elephant, as tough as a rhino and_ \- even his thoughts were interrupted by the speed of her attacks! Cheetahs everywhere would have been put to shame... although Dianbo had never really met a cheetah. Rolling backwards (both to get to his feet and avoid a stomp that put a small hole in the ground) the jackal's whip shot forwards faster than a striking snake and put a tiny cut on her cheek. It was negligible, and he doubted Bei had even noticed (it was not like she could get any more angry, now was it?) Not to mention the thick layers of dye made it hard to tell apart from sweat.

The panda retaliated with renewed viciousness. Twisting like a dancer she hurled her fan (now in disc form) at her opponent. Luckily, Dianbo dodged it. It was even luckier that the fan had now embedded itself into the wall of a house. His opponent now lacked weaponry.

For a while now, the jackal held the advantage, weaving away from her blows- which came just as fast but didn't reach quite as far with no massive fan at the end of them. While he dodged, he continued to whittle her down with swift strikes of his whip (he had definitely grazed the panda's leg). Just as he was beginning to feel like the winner of this round, Bei grabbed his weapon, and tore it from his grip. Tossing it aside the panda bared her (surprisingly sharp) teeth and claws.

"So that's how we're doing it then." Dianbo muttered, his eyes darting to where she'd thrown his whip. Bei must have noticed, for she was ready when he made to dart past her and slashed at his chest.

Panda claws were sharper than he'd ever expected them to be (so much for being a docile species) and it was only thanks to his reflexes that he avoided a deadly blow. As it was his chest had a wicked-looking scratch on it, but nothing too severe. For the time being at least...

Dianbo backed away quickly, but Bei was quicker. Flipping forwards, she planted both feet firmly into the jackal's chest. Dianbo flew through the air until his back came into contact with a pole, which snapped on impact.

All he really wanted to do was groan and lie down, but he could hear Master Flying Rhino. _"You have three seconds to get up! One! Two!"_ He was up before 'three' and sidestepped Bei's fist. A roundhouse kick caught the panda on the side, and Dianbo followed up swiftly with another to the face. He was satisfied to hear a faint 'crack' on impact, but didn't stay in range long enough for her to retaliate.

Using the temporary lull in the battle to retrieve his whip, the jackal allowed himself a tiny breath of relief. But Bei was nowhere near done yet, and raised both sides of the shattered pole. Which was, in fact, not a pole, but a spear. It was the same one Tian Yi had leapt out the window with, but Dianbo did not have the time to ponder this little irony.

Bei hurled the blunt half (what had once been the back-end of the spear) at her opponent. Dianbo dodged, but it had just been a distraction. Instinct protected him from this skewering, but Bei was once more upon him.

The spear half fitted almost as comfortably in her paw as the fan did, and Dianbo only felt his curiosity increase. How could a panda become a slaver? What had turned her into... this? Weren't most pandas as plump as plums? Master Flying Rhino had said so...

 _"The only panda I know who isn't as plump as a plum is Master Shifu of the Jade Palace. And he's a_ red _panda."_

Curious or not, Dianbo was forced back into evasive maneuvering, yet could not help but growl at his predicament. Master Flying Rhino would have finished this panda in half a mili-second, his duel had lasted longer and he was loosing. If he wanted to beat Bei he would have to fight smarter and give himself some advantages.

Bei's speed and agility were impressive, but her attacks were unrefined. He would use that against her. Every time he caught one of her limbs she either disarmed him, or pulled him into her fist. So he would change tactics. She hit harder than him, he had to use that against her too...

Bei, unfortunately, used that against him first. Busy in his planning he had been caught unawares by a sudden roundhouse kick. His back met the ironwood doors of Vera's villa, and he only just managed to avoid the spear that had nearly pinned him to the entrance. No sooner had he risen to his feet, then Bei had closed the gap. Her fist went straight for his muzzle, but by some miracle (and quick reflexes, but Dianbo put it down to miracle) he managed to dodge and her fist came in contact with the hard wood.

Bei growled and slashed for his face, but this time he was ready and, weaving to the side, rolled under her arm. Before she could retaliate, he leapt up and slammed his heel into the back of her head, bringing the panda's face into the unbreakable doors with avengeance. A leg sweep followed and brought Bei flat on her back, he followed up by stomping down on her face with a brutality that would've made his old master repeat the importance of things like 'compassion' and 'mercy'. Hypocritically, because Master Flying Rhino had always been more brutal than him.

Before the panda could recover, he put his plan into action.

* * *

All Splintnose knew was agony. His back was on fire. Not literally of course, but it hurt. A lot. The strange bear-cat thing had teeth like a lion, and the jaw strength of a crocodile. And now she was going for Tian Yi. His eyes opened, and seemed to glow red in rage (well they weren't glowing, and his eyes were red anyways). Noone hurt his crush! Noone! Of course, she could definetly look after herself just fine and might be annoyed by his coming to rescue her. If she didn't need his help she might make fun of him. If she did he wouldn't be able to do much. While his mind tugged and ripped apart at the many arguments made, he pushed himself to his feet. His own blood was impossible to miss on the white of his fur, but Splintnose didn't care and forced himself (ignoring as best he could the parts of his mind that insisted he let himself heal a bit first) to walk towards the door. He would save Tian Yi and her pretty name from the villainous panda if it was the last thing he-

The door burst open, and flattened him against the wall. For a split second he was in severe pain, but then he heard her voice and all was blissful. "Splintnose! Splintnose, where are you?" The she-jackal sounded worried. She was worried about him. Not even the thick door and the wall he was pressed against could squash away the warm tingling that now set his fur on edge.

And indeed Tian Yi was worried, as one who noticed a trail of blood leading to behind a door would be. Entering the room she let the door close to reveal a rather squashed sable. If he was hurt he didn't show it, for on his face he wore the most dopey of grins.

"You came for me." He purred weakly, his pupils diluting to eight times their normal size.

"I did." Tian Yi replied, helping him to his feet. "Can you walk?"

The sable stiffened, went very pink around the ears and cheeks and then stuttered a response. "O-only if-f-, c-could you hold my p-paw?" He offered said paw, but made to withdraw it again a second later. Tian Yi did not give him the chance. She was shaking like a leaf and needed the physical contact as much as he did.

"Dianbo's holding Bei off." Tian Yi said, walking quickly. Splintnose, oblivious to all pain when in her company, kept her pace. "We have to hurry so that he has a chance to escape." If he died protecting her... a brother she barely knew...

"Or we could use that." Splintnose pointed a claw at what looked like a giant crossbow.

Somehow it's existence, and the convenient placement of it, did not surprise Tian Yi.

* * *

Bei tore her war fan free of the wall with a growl like thunder. It spelt doom and gloom for all that dared hurt her, the Prince of Gongmen and the jackal she was currently dueling.

 _"You're a panda."_ He had said, in a tongue she had long thought forgotten. She was not a panda. Pandas were fat, and stupid and dead. Bei was none of those things. Right now all she was, was angry.

A tile exploded against the back of her head and Bei snarled like a monster. She spun round and found Dianbo waving at her with his stump. "Over here."

 _I have spent too much time around Sanjay._ He mused, ducking under her fan-turned-disc as it whizzed past. Although he _had_ once used itching powder and skunk stink on someone with heightened senses... Perhaps they were more similar than he thought. _Or not._

Bei, predictably, followed him onto the roof, catching her returning disc. The panda snarled, but Dianbo was done with showdowns. He was bleeding and tired and just wanted to get out of the city already. So instead of scowling, as he usually would have done, he caught a tile in his whip, and brought it with as much prejudice as he could muster, into the side of his opponent's face.

Bei made to catch the whip, but Dianbo pulled it out of reach. Simultaneously, the jackal kicked up a tile with one foot, and used the other to launch it towards his adversary. Bei's fist shattered it into a thousand pieces, and the panda swiftly covered the distance, but not as swiftly as on stable land. The tiles were slipping beneath her as she moved, and cracking upon the ground below.

Dianbo sidestepped the first downwards slash of her fan, which cut through the tiles he'd been standing on like butter, and ducked under a flailing fist. Once more he was behind her before she could turn around, and brought his leg forcefully into the back of her knee. Bei fell on one knee, and slashed wildly as she spun round, but Dianbo had already retreated. His whip slashed her across the face.

Bei slammed a fist into the roof and pushed herself to her feet. Dianbo heard the telltale creak of wood and allowed himself the smallest of smiles. Judging from the sudden lack of palour in her face, the fact was also dawning upon the panda. Ashtar had plenty of slaves, and not a single good architect. The roof was going to collapse any second now.

And it did, the moment Dianbo jumped off. There was a crack like thunder, and the clanging of a dozen pots and pans as Bei crashed through the building and back down to earth. The jackal's landing was not exactly graceful, but far superior to her own.

Rising to his feet, he stumbled over to the villa entrance.

"You... son... of... a..." A flick of his wrist sent his whip into the apron-clad rabbit's face.

Dianbo collapsed at the top of the stairs, panting heavily. No longer running on adrenaline he could feel the aches and pains of battle returning to his body. His chest in particular, not to mention his muzzle, had suffered much damage. But for the most part, he was alive. If only his master could see him now...

 _"So you met your siblings. Went on a rescue mission and helped a slave rebellion escape. I'm proud of you."_

The jackal's ear twitched at the sound of growling. He sat up, hoping it was just his stomach, and found to his dismay that Bei, covered in woks and cooking utensils (she even had a chopstick up one nostril) was marching determinedly towards him. She was limping. That was his only sense of satisfaction. He had made her limp. The jackal tightened the grip on his whip, his sigh resigned.

 _"Must have jinxed it. Sorry kid."_

And just as suddenly as she had come, Bei left- a long shaft of wood having crashed into one of her wok pans. The force of it knocked her back into the house. Which then, inexplicably, collapsed.

"Huh?" Was all he could say, as he let go of his whip. Spinning his head around, he was surprised to find an equally-astounded Tian Yi and a celebrating Splintnose standing behind what looked like a giant crossbow.

"We did it! We did it! We did it!" The sable cheered.

Tian Yi cleared her throat. "Yes well, we er- had to help out. Now come on. We're leaving this city." She held out a paw for him which, retrieving his whip, he accepted. "The next time we go on a rescue mission." She said, shivering. "I am not coming."

Dianbo blinked at first, but managed a grin anyways. "I don't think we'll have to do any rescuing anytime soon." He let his eyes wonder over to the rubble under which Bei was buried. "Although I _am_ glad you came on this one."

* * *

 _Climax over! And now I really hope it wasn't an anti-climax. Not that those are horrible, just not *exactly* what I was going for. In fact I'd say this is somewhere in the middle between climax and anti-climax... So, beloved readers, what do you think? Good? Bad? Somewhere in the middle?_

 _Bei Vs Dianbo was a fun fight to write, but I kind of feel I could have done more with them (individually they were fine this story, but for this to be climax makes little sense considering these two have few prior interactions) although I would call the whole freeing the slaves debacle a climax. Just spread out over a few chapters XD_

 _And yes, ballista-ex-machina! Hehehe_

 _Stay tuned for the remaining few chapters (coming soon)!_


	39. Life Is A Finished Journey

**A/N: Honestly not sure what about this chapter was so hard to write. So... long overdue ending here we are XD**

 **Enjoy**

The journey back to the Upma/Roti hill/village/region took twice as long as the journey to Ashtar had. It was probably because at least a hundred more animals were doing the journeying this time around... and Quillus was the only one who knew the way... and many of them wanted the porcupine dead, maimed or brutally tortured.

The freed slaves formed a long line across the road. Some marched with the discipline of one still held beneath a whip. Some sauntered about lazily, enjoying every moment of their newfound freedom. Dianbo hadn't been able to or bothered to count just how many there were. He had tried, of course, but lost count at fifty-seven when he was quite sure he'd counted the same jerboa no less than four times. The specific number was not all that important anyways... but, as Vera Darkrose was so keen on reminding him every time he was in earshot, these animals would need homes. And of course furniture. Many also needed fresh clothing. A pawful were in want of medical attention and one unfortunate tiger would have to have an amputation.

 _Don't forget the food._ Came the voice of his late Master. _You'll have to feed all of them too._

 _Yes... I know..._

He would've been worrying about all of this far more than he _was_ if he wasn't the only one bothered. Well, _Vera_ was bothered about something but Dianbo was quite sure it wasn't about where lunch would come from. The others, and especially Sanjay, had repeatedly reassured him that getting a loan was easy and that they could arrange to hire healers, set up some trade networks and buy an implausible amount of mud bricks. They had all the paws they needed to build a few homes a day. Each and every one of Dianbo's arguments had been crushed.

 _"But what about paying the loan back?" Dianbo snapped believing, as usual, that Sanjay was not taking things seriously enough._

 _It was Shade's dull monotone that gave him his answer. "Repayment will not be an issue."_

 _Dianbo felt a chin run down his spine._

 _For now_ he wasn't worried. But that was probably because he was exhausted. Not because the walk itself was very hard, but because he'd been foolish enough to offer to carry the children when they inevitably got tired. Ganga was tired now, and quite heavy. Which was probably why he was a good dozen meters behind everyone else.

Everyone that wasn't Quillus anyways. The pudgy porcupine was swiftly reducing any claws he had into tiny stubs. The former slaver had scarcely left the jackal's side the whole way back. Neither had his bear, who seemed determined to growl at anyone that so much as looked at him.

"Do you mind carting her around?" Dianbo was addressing the bear directly, but the feral did not halt until Quillus shrugged.

Placing Ganga gently onto her back, Dianbo glanced down at his former adversary. "You look pale."

" _So!?_ " The porcupine snapped, his quills bristling defensively.

Dianbo sighed. "You've probably heard this about a dozen times by no-"

He was interrupted mid-way by a loud scoff. Quillus went on in a high-pitched voice that... sounded absolutely nothing like Dianbo. "Everything's going to be fine! Everyone'll forgive you. No grudges! Yay! Hahahaha! _NOPE!"_ He continued in his normal voice. "The only reason I haven't been torn apart yet is because of Licky here!"

Dianbo frowned skeptically. "I wouldn't let the-"

"I've seen the way some of those chumps look at me!" Quillus interrupted. "They know what I am, they know who I am and they... they... they... Your pathetic attempts at lulling me into a false sense of security aren't going to work!"

Dianbo brought his paw into his face.

"Don't do that either! Okay? I get it, I deserve to suffer. But I don't wanna suffer!" Quillus was shaking so profusely that Licky, believing this to be Dianbo's fault, bared her teeth and growled. The porcupine gently itched the back of her ears. "What... how exactly... what happens to slavers in erm-" He swallowed audibly. "In India?"

Dianbo did not know the answer. Back in China anyone found enslaving another would either be jailed or executed... depending on the province. That answer was unlikely to calm him so the jackal neatly darted around the question.

"I'm not going to let you die."

"Like you have that kinda power."

 _If he gave me this kind of attitude I'd boot him across the Yangtze._

 _Very helpful Master..._ "From what I heard you saved Sanjay's life and you saved Jamal's life-"

"Who's he?"

"The boar." Dianbo carefully placed his stump on the porcupine's shoulder. "I'm not saying you're not going to be punished, that's out of my paws."

"Paw. Singular." Quillus snarled, his grumpiness fueling his grammar.

Dianbo pretended not to have heard. "But I can promise that I won't let anyone hurt you."

* * *

Elsewhere amidst the 'slave' lines Splintnose was clutching at a pair of old, dried up lotuses he'd snatched up on the way out of Ashtar. He'd intended to give them to Tian Yi then and there, but had hesitated. What if she didn't like the colour? What if she was allergic to pollen? Then he had hesitated for other reasons. Was it or was it not weird to give someone you had survived fighting alongside, flowers? Was she even the type of jackal that _liked_ flowers?

His fellow bandits had been very unhelpful. Green-eyes had wanted nothing at all to do with the 'unnatural' relationship. Blacktooth had tried to eat the flowers and Secrat...

 _"First thing you do is wash up. You think you can charm a girl looking like some dishrag? Nah. Clean up, soap up, dress up. I'll lend you some outfits when we get back. Perfume is also a really good thing to use, especially if this lady's got a sensitive nose. Once you look presentable that's the hard part done. Walk up to her, tell her how you feel, see what she thinks. Done, simple. Might want to check with her dad though, dads can be protective. Moms too come to think of it."_

Secrat had been _useless!_ How was he supposed to know if she had a _sensitive_ nose? Tian Yi didn't _seem_ oversensitive! Still the she-wolf was the only female he knew that wasn't nearing the age of a hundred, so he had decided (after much deliberation) to follow her advice.

Clad in peacock feathers he'd borrowed from what was now a very angry avian, the sable slunk over determinedly, his paws shaking. The lotuses within trembled and shook as if they were in an earthquake.

Tian Yi was not hard to find, probably because he was very familiar with what she looked like from a distance. He approached on timid footpaws. Splintnose coughed awkwardly in an attempt to get the she-jackal's attention, oblivious to the fact that she smelled quite different. He then turned his gaze towards the ground, raising the lotuses far above his head. "Thismightbereallyawkwardbutfortherecordit'snotamarriageproposaloranythingweirdIjustwanttotakeyououttodinnerbecauseIfeelindebtedtoyoucozyousavedmylifeseveraltimes." He gasped for breath, before hurriedly closing his eyes. "IunderstandifyousaynoafterallItriedtorobyouonceandI'mnotthemostcharmingoffellows." Another gasp of fresh air later. "ButIdon'tknowhoworwhyoranythingbutIloveyouandandandI'ddoanythingforyou... I-if you'd have me, of course."

For a long while all that followed was the sound of his lungs refilling.

"Errrrrrm." Began the tigress he had been addressing. "I like the outfit!" She replied cheerily, if not without a humongous note of confusion.

"You're not her!" Splintnose felt cheated. How had he not noticed? "Well sorry lady but I'm not at all interested in _you!_ "

"Okay." The tigress sounded less cheery now, and far more confused.

"I can't believe I wasted my proposal on _you_ of all things. And what's the matter with you anyways, posing as my crush! The _nerve_ on some mammals." The sable growled, then smiled patronizingly. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm taken." He turned to leave. "Might want to find someone on the stupider side of-"

The tigress was probably a gentle soul, but a lifetime of getting beaten by a slavemaster left little in the way for nonviolence. In other words she kicked the arrogant mammal. Very hard.

"Good luck finding someone with _that_ attitude." He called out to her retreating back, from around a muzzleful of broken teeth (Splintnose had had the bad luck of crashing into a palm).

And that was how Tian Yi found him upside down against a tree, wheezing painfully.

"You sound... uncomfortable..." Out of pity she helped him to his feet, ignoring, as usual, the way his eyes diluted whenever he looked at her.

"I tried asking you out." He mumbled, by way of explanation. "Didn't go as well as I rehearsed." It was then that he remembered who he was talking to. "N-n-not that I rehearsed much. I definetly did not spend the whole of last night trying to come up with the right words. No I was er- I was sleeping!"

Tian Yi blinked. "... Right..."

After an awkward pause Splintnose cleared his throat. "This probably feels really weird for you, i-it's weird for me too! B-but probably more weird for you. Er-anyways... so you saved my life. Thrice? S-so even i-if I disgust you or whatever I er- w-well I-I think, I m-mean I'd like _t-tobuyyoulunch_!" As if frightened, the sable shrunk away, holding up the crumpled-up flowers defensively, like they would offer any kind of protection should she choose to end him totally and completely.

The jackal rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean... lunch doesn't sound bad..."

"I-i-it doesn't? I mean, it doesn't! I mean, i-i-if you say so." Realization dawned upon him and suddenly he went as red as a ripe mango. "S-so wait d-d-did you say yes?"

"I guess I-"

Splintnose fainted clean away. Any teeth left in his muzzle were obliterated upon impact with the hard sun-baked ground, but what did it matter? Love was all he needed...

* * *

Elsewhere amidst the 'slave' lines another one of the bandits was dealing with some unfinished business.

"I do not appreciate it when others take control of my body, you hear me?"

Padma had no idea what the big burly wolf was talking about. "Er- I guess. I imagine it would be quite frustrating."

"So the next time you want to be a wolf possess anyone but me, you got that?"

The young vixen blinked. "I... guess..."

"Good." He paused. "But if we're going to kick major ass then you have my permission. "Punching people feels good, ya know?"

"Ignore him." Blacktooth advised. Noone was sure where he had come from- it was likely he'd been eating something nearby. "I think a part of his brain might've been severely damaged in all the fighting." The dark-furred sable shrugged.

* * *

Naturally, a few of the former slaves arrived ahead of the rest. How the villagers of Upma and Roti had managed to cook up a feast (upma and roti included) in the indiscernible amount of time (it couldn't have been that long...) was anyone's guess. Not that anyone was doing any guessing. Even an elephant would've found it hard to try everything. A stew of dal, rice and assorted vegetables- also known as kitchari- was bubbling in a cauldron so massive it was being stirred by a pair of pachyderms. Piled on platters that seemed determined to touch the sun were breads of every kind- most of the round and pan-fried variety. Puffed-up puris, buttered chappatis, oily rotis, dhoklas smothered in dried coconut and mustard seeds.

A few other cauldrons, not quite as massive as the first (but each as large as a small rhino) were topped to the brim with indistinguishable (to Dianbo's eyes) vegetable dishes known as sabjis. A milky broth of spinach- yellowed and scented by the asefatida root, a fiery red stew filled with little chunks of cheese, cauliflower and balls of gram flour known as kofta. Countless others, of every colour and consistency brought fresh and copious amounts of drool from the weary travellers.

That was not even covering desert. Thousands upon thousands of small, sweet, delights. Puffy balls of brown flower bathed in sugarey syrup, while balls of cheese lay besides them in rosewater. Rolled up squares of coconut fudge- known as burfi- were thrown into hungry paws (and mouths) by the pawful. A great cauldron was filled with silky safron rice pudding, served alongside halawa, a fluffy kind of cake made from semolina- and in this case- filled with mangoes.

In short it was an extremely sumptuous feast, complete with every delicacy in the Known World. Dianbo was pleasantly surprised to find that someone had even made noodles. Extremely spicy ones, stuffed with chilies of every colour and about thirty seven different herbs and spices, but noodles nonetheless.

Shouts of joy and triumph echoed across the air. Someone even struck up a song. Someone else picked up a kind of drum. The tumultuous echoes of joy filled the air, and anyone in a ten mile radius would not be going to bed before midnight.

* * *

"It was awesome!" Ravi was saying to what looked like every cub and kitten in the region.

"It was horrible!" Jamal countered, hugging his beloved grandmother tightly.

" _I_ was awesome." The tiger continued, oblivious. He leaned in close, drawing in the attention of the mesmerised children and whispered. "I think I might have superpowers." He drew back, their gazes captured completely. "Set fire to some guy just by concentrating hard enough." There was a collective grasp from the crowd of onlookers. Before a clamour of questions could be raised, Ravi continued. "Ganga was awesome too! Catapulted someone into the sun and everything. You should've heard that slaver dude's screaming!"

The elephant calf agreed wholeheartedly. "Oh yes, I'm quite proud of my throwing arm."

Ganga's parents gave their daughter what could only be described as looks of shock and horror.

Ravi was not the only one exaggerating events. Padma, exhausted from the journey, had collapsed into her mother's arms and seemed unlikely to wake up anytime soon. This meant that Surya's family were demanding answers from him. Unfortunately they had already heard some exaggerations. And the young fennec was not about to deny the rumors of his bodaciousness...

"How many walls did you flip through?" One of his brothers asked as his four other siblings pushed and shoved each other out of the way to better 'hear' their brother's rendition of events.

The young fennec grinned and spread out eight of his fingers, to gasps of shock and incredulity.

"Is it true you catapulted an elephant into the moon?"

Surya shook his head and pointed at the setting sun. There were many 'ooooh's of understanding.

"And then you dropped a chunk of the _Sumeru_ on them?"

Surya smiled and shrugged modestly.

"Woaaaaaaah!" His siblings said in unison.

His uncle, father and mother all shared looks of incredulity, as if they could not believe their eyes.

"Can we go too?" One fennec kit asked suddenly, addressing his mother.

"To Ashtar that is." Another added.

"We _really_ want to kick butt!" The grin on the young fox's face would've sent Ashtar's peacekeeper's running and hiding.

"Yeah! And throw people into suns!"

"And drop celestial mountains on them!"

In perfect sync the four young foxes dropped to their knees and folded their paws as if in prayer. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaase!"

"B-b-but there are a lot of perfectly good butts to kick here." Their uncle was not a smart fox. This was not the advice one gave a pack of over-excited children. Luckily they didn't seem to understand.

"We don't want to kick _good_ butts!"

"We want to kick _bad_ butts! Like Surya did!"

"Yeah! Hey, wait! Didn't that jackal say he was going to teach us how to do that?"

"Yeah!"

"We're gonna learn first!"

"And _then_ go and whip the slavers!"

The fennecs shared many a highpaw now. Their parents looked... less enthusiastic.

* * *

"None of it is poisoned." Dianbo informed the porcupine besides him, who had not yet so much as sniffed a thing.

Quillus growled and turned to Licky, who was currently finishing her eight bowl of sweet rice. "If I start screaming my head off and coughing and choking, do me a favour and kill him."

"You might want to avoid the chillies then." The jackal offered him a puri.

Before the porcupine could so much as snatch it away there was the sound of a battlecry. Quillus screamed as an armada came charging from within the crowd, sending clouds of dust up to the heavens. He stopped screaming abruptly when all the children raced past him and tackled Dianbo to the ground.

From where he lay beneath what seemed to be every cub, kit, kitten and calf in the region, Master Flying Rhino's sole student could discern that they wanted to learn Kung Fu... for all the wrong reasons...

The jackal sighed.

* * *

 _Footnote: Not quiiiiiiiiiiiite finished yet here. While this chapter does kind of wrap up everything, I do want to do a sort of epilogue (and I think it's much nicer to end a story on the nice whole number forty hehehe) Plus... I assume we all want to know what exactly happens to everyone after this... So epilogue is coming soon-ish!  
_


	40. Life Is A Sunset

"I won't miss this place." Came the Weeper's raspy voice.

"Me neither." Bei grunted.

Side by side the white leopard and the black panda walked out the city gates and onto the burning, sweeping sands of the desert. The wind howled and threw dust everywhere, yet the sandstorm was safer than Ashtar. The city had been lawless to begin with, and the chaos of the past few days had not done anyone any favors. Corpses littered the streets, some belonged to slaves who'd been killed during the great escape. Most belonged to Masters unlucky enough to have stayed in the city.

Some former slaves had stayed behind to wreck havoc and satisfy their revenge. Bei had had to decapitate one such rhino on the way out. Many former masters fought over the scant resources not demolished in the past week or so. Food was lacking, having been destroyed in the battles. Money was inedible, and thus of no value. The city had never been self-sufficient, and had relied far too much on it's one source of income. Soon the general populace would be reduced to eating each other. Plague and pestilence would be blown in by the strong winds of the desert and Ashtar's once mighty walls would crumble to dust.

The only ones that would survive would be those that left. With Bei, it was all about survival. It had always been about survival. She was the last panda, and now she headed North and East. She and the leopard. Her giant fan and his spear of bone.

She had left Gongmen and her old village behind. It had been a necessity at the time. The Prince of Gongmen would have returned eventually, or someone within the city would sell her out. She had had no choice. It was a matter of life or death.

Yet... for once... survival was not the only thing she was interested in... Revenge had it's own allure.

* * *

 _Several weeks later in Upma..._

* * *

Due to the absence of any dojos- martial arts were not so common this far west- Dianbo had put Putana's temple to use. A fifty foot fortress made up of interlocking and multicoloured banyan trees. It was large, well insulated and came complete with gem-encrusted doors. It was not far from the villages, and aside from the occasional knife (there was an uncomfortable number scattered about) safe to use. In other words it was perfect for his classes.

"The first thing one may think of," Dianbo began, over the sound of turbulent laughter coming from a corner. "When one hears the words 'Kung Fu'-" There echoed a chorus of 'bless yous'... which the jackal ignored. "Is combat." This time his audience squealed in delight. "But in truth Kung Fu is far more than that." For once the children were silent, eager and attentive. The jackal spread his paws wide, to give an idea of scope and scale. "Kung Fu means mastery of self and being the best you can be at whatever you want to do."

"Hahahahahahaha!"

Despite the violent background noise he still had the full attention of what seemed to be every cub and kitten (and chick and kit and foal and calf and whatever else there was) in the district.

"Now I won't go into too much philosophy just yet." Master Flying Rhino hadn't... ever... which meant this was something Dianbo himself would have to learn himself. "But there are some things you need to know before I can teach any of you how to fly-kick-"

A wave of excitement washed over his students, some of whom even fly-kicked each other. Children were difficult...

"A Master of Kung Fu is patient."

This grabbed the attention of all the impatient children, who promptly looked to their feet in shame.

"A Master of Kung Fu has control."

"STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!"

Dianbo's eye twitched, nevertheless he persevered. Noticing that some of the children seemed to be under the impression he'd been scolding them, he proceeded more gently. "A Master of Kung Fu is confident, and courageous."

The assorted young animals- all of whom considered themselves confident and courageous, puffed out their chests with pride.

The jackal raised a paw (and his voice to compete with the ever-increasing volume of laughter). "And above all, a Master of Kung Fu is compassionate."

"Mercy! Mercyhihihihihihi!"

His eye twitched again, and Dianbo slumped. " _Compassion_ Sanjay... let the guy go..."

"Just having a quick sparring match." The other jackal replied happily. Thankfully he obeyed and let Green-eyes' helpless feet fall to the ground in defeat. The burly wolf continued to twitch and writhe, as if struck by lightning. Noticing his gaze, Sanjay smirked. "You up for one?"

Nothing would have pleased Dianbo more than to give Sanjay a good, and literal, kick. Yet he knew combat with his sibling was dangerous- especially in public. It would not do to be shamed and humiliated in front of children he hoped to teach... even if he had first walked into town as a pillow. "Maybe later."

"I think a spar is a very good idea!" Interjected Ravi.

"Yeah! Give us a fight!" Agreed the normally peaceful Ganga.

Dianbo was quite sure the both of them were working under orders from the prankster himself, but it was too late to theorize now. The damage was done.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Dianbo gritted his teeth. If he could beat Sanjay without making a scene... Could he though? The prankster would not go down without a fight, and his brother's idea of fighting involved a lot of belt-snatching and banana-slipping. In other words even if he beat Sanjay he would be the one that looked stupid.

A way out came in the form of Green-eyes. The burly wolf had to some degree recovered (he'd replaced his sandals) and was now rising shakily to his feet. He was also shouting. Loudly. "Turn around you coward!" He growled, addressing Sanjay. "Turn around and fight fair!" The former bandit, with speed and skill pitied by the weak, elderly and invalid , tore forwards and hurled a kick at the scruffier jackal.

Effortlessly, Sanjay hooked the lupine's ankle under one arm, while the other went for a feather. "You might as well gift-wrap your toes." He snickered, flicking off the sandal once more.

The prankster sufficiently distracted, Dianbo cleared his throat. "So, like I was saying Kung Fu is-"

"Forget Kung Fu!" Cried one of the fennecs, pointing a finger at Sanjay and the now-laughing Greeneyes. "I wanna learn _that_ martial art!"

There was a clamor, a thunderclap of excitement and noise and cheers and laughter and... Dianbo could see his dreams crumpling before him like papyrus in a fire.

"Wait! Wait! I'll- I'll teach you fly kicks!"

* * *

 _Three hours later..._

* * *

"That went well!" Sanjay's cheerful voice seemed to exist in direct contrast to the look of exhaustion on his brother's face.

"Yes... it did..."

"And you can definitely do this next week, noone's going to complain about free babysitting."

"How... wonderful..."

"You sound really out of breath."

"I... am..." The children had drained Dianbo of all energy. Yet the jackal was content. There was something indescribably satisfying about imparting the age old knowledge of his Master into his plethora of eager students. Even if not much 'imparting' had been done, the process had begun. It was like breathing new life into a wilting flower.

To think, he hadn't had anywhere else to go a few months ago, now he felt almost at home in this strange country.

Dianbo watched the children scamper away (eager to show anyone and everyone what they were now capable of doing) with a smile of contentment that did not fit his ceaselessly twitching eyelids. His ear too, twitched, and instinctively a paw came down to his belt. There it found Sanjay's, attempting to undo the clasp.

"Not today." The jackal's muzzle returned to it's familiar scowl. Roughly shoving the prankster's paw away, Dianbo proceeded to tighten said belt.

"Tomorrow then." Sanjay said, with a grin that promised suffering.

Dianbo shook his head, yet said nothing in reply. He was also getting used to Sanjay... he hoped.

"Oh by the way Tian Yi wants to show you something later on." The prankster winked. "It's a surprise."

"It can't be anything good if you're the one telling me."

The scruffier jackal stumbled backwards, his paws on his chest. "You _wound_ me."

Dianbo scowled and did not even turn around. "I don't."

Sanjay's grin returned with avengence. "I know."

* * *

What had once been twenty mud-huts and far too small to call a village, was now a bustling city of mud-huts. Noone seemed to be an architect but many of the slaves had spent most of their lives stacking bricks for their masters, doing so at a more leisurely pace without the threat of lashes was blissful and serene in it's simplicity.

Of course, some huts were larger than others (elephants needed more room) and some were smaller (the small army of jerboas needed one roughly the size of a cart and no bigger). Some were painted blue and some were painted red. One was even decorated with roses!

And for it's occupants said hut, despite it's large size, was quite a stepdown from Villa Darkrose. The she-wolf did not let her frustration show, but how could she not be bothered? A month ago she had been plotting and planning and scheming and about to blow up Ashtar.

It had taken her years to rise through the ranks of civilization. To afford said villa, to buy control. To order the firework shipments. To excavate the undercity. It had been a simple plan. The fireworks were to come in from Gongmen. That had been Shyam's fault. The peacock had somehow been robbed of both his feathers and the precious fireworks. Tiberius had found him gagged and bound and she had found Tiberius wounded and bandaged.

At first she had convinced herself she was happy. After all, Ashtar was still in chaos, the slaves had been rescued and freed and she too was free.

"We'd have been a lot more than free if everything had gone according to plan." Inkling growled, as if reading her mind. "When those jackals said they were gonna rescue some kids... how did they get _everyone_ out!?"

"The black one's not a jackal." Tiberius reminded them both. "I told you, I saw the spike hit him. A smaller one got me and I'm scarred for life."

"He should be dead." Vera muttered, having heard this conversation before. She decided to end it before it could go any further. "The others are happy though. Content. As are the slaves, as are the villagers."

"Shyam's still regrowing his feathers." Inkling seethed, determined it seemed, to complain. "They didn't even-"

"Be satisfied." The she-wolf snapped, growing impatient. Of course it was hypocritical of her to say so. _She_ wasn't satisfied... Yet she was not sure why. Everything she had ever strived for, freedom and happiness, were at paw. Perhaps it was revenge she was missing. Vera certainly regretted not being able to make the Masters of Ashtar suffer... But was it something else? Power... control...

Vera shook the thoughts away and folded her sleeves. "I'm going for lunch." She said briskly. It was one of the few things that gave her satisfaction these days.

And that was in no small part because Quillus was on lunch duty. The pudgy porcupine had not been executed, to Inkling's annoyance. But being a slaver could not go unpunished, especially when majority of the population were former slaves. So it had been decided that instead of taking him to the nearest jail (he'd begged and pleaded and caused a great scene... and noone had wanted to deal with his bear) he'd have to do community service. It was not a difficult job, he had to sweep floors and flap carpets and serve the lunch-lines. Fair work for a fair amount of time.

"Six months." The porcupine seethed, as he ladled some overly-scented soup into an awaiting bowl. He hated community service, he hated the village and he hated serving elephants. Why were their bowls bigger than his ladel!? "Would you like some chappati with that?" He asked with forced politeness. Serving food was still preferable to being sacrificed.

The elephant, who Quillus knew had once been a famous arena fighter, made a queer shrugging motion (he lacked arms). The porcupine handed him one anyways.

It was not a bad job. And he'd probably wouldn't have minded it so much... if it wasn't for her.

"Quillus." Came her voice.

"Darkrose." Growled the porcupine.

"I forgot your first name."

His eyelid twitched in rage. He growled again and bared his tiny, unimpressive fangs. "What would you like to eat?" He knew full well she only came here to boss him around and otherwise make him feel miserable. He also knew that if he set Licky loose on her he was likely to be serving food for the rest of his life...

"I'll have... hmmmm..." She placed a claw to her chin, watching with some satisfaction as his paw tightened around the ladle. "How about you pick for me?"

Quillus was surprised by this turn of events, yet suspected a trap. It was just like Vera to make him fill a bowl only to order something else... not that there was anything he could do about it. "No backsies?"

"No backsies." She smiled, showing off her far more impressive fangs.

Quillus did as he was bid and hurriedly filled a bowl with all of the least-loved dishes. "Here y-"

"Actually I think I'll have that." She pointed at the soup and turned her nose up at the- admittedly unappealing- portion of food he was offering.

The porcupine growled and ladled soup into a bowl. He threw in a chappati and handed it over, not trusting himself to look at her hateful face and control his temper.

"Thank you." With deliberate slowness Vera took the food away.

Licky growled, and tore a flatbread apart with her jaws.

"I know Licky. I know." Quillus growled. "But killing people is a crime here."

The bear stomped over and nosed a bowl of soup over to a patiently-waiting toad.

"I know, takes getting used to." The former slaver sighed, patting the side of her head. "At least you seem happy enough."

The feral bear flopped onto the floor and rolled onto her back like an overgrown puppy.

"You can do that all you want." Quillus started, annoyed all over again. "But I will never admit to liking this."

"I've heard some people find a sense of purpose and belonging in servitude." Dianbo interjected, having heard the last snatches of conversation.

"I'm sure all these slaves did." The porcupine spat. Thankfully not literally. And for that Dianbo was grateful, it was his soup that was in danger of spittle after all. "Which is why they were so happy to leave Ashtar behind."

"There is a difference between slavery and service." The jackal's stuborness was the envy of every donkey in the land.

"Not when you're the one doing the service." Quillus huffed, passing him the bowl. Dianbo opened his mouth to reply but the porcupine cut him off before he could begin. "I _know_ this is not a severe punishment and I _know_ I should be grateful you people didn't decide to do worse. You _don't_ need to remind me. _Enjoy your meal!_ " The former slaver wished he had a door to abruptly slam shut. It would have really highlighted his frustration.

Dianbo's narrowed (and twitching) eyes continued to stare at the porcupine from over the rim of his soup bowl.

This did not go unnoticed by said porcupine, who placed his paws on his hips and glowered up at the jackal. "Admiring the view, are we?"

Dianbo paused to contemplate something (much to Quillus' frustration), before finally speaking his mind. "Sanjay said there was a surprise for me. I was wondering..."

"No clue." Came the porcupine's voice, as harsh as the crack of a whip.

The jackal nodded and finished his soup.

* * *

She hadn't exactly _agreed_ to lunch. But Tian Yi had not refused either and really, what was the worst that could happen?

As Shade had put it. _"If he does anything you dislike removing his rib-cage will not be challenging."_

...Perhaps Shade was not the best at giving romantic advice. Still, she could give the albino the benefit of the doubt.

Splintnose, for all his faults, was not late. She wasn't either, but he had been waiting for her. Or rather, nervously fidgeting in a large baggy shirt clearly made for a bigger species since daybreak.

"H-hello." He greeted, waving her over.

"Hello." Tian Yi replied. She had been about to pull up a stool, only to find Splintnose had already done so for her. And gotten back on his chair. The power of love seemed to make him move faster than usual...

As soon as she sat down he pulled a bouquet of lotuses from under his own stool. How he had made it fit there was anyone's guess. With an ineligible garble, the albino sable passed it to her.

"Thanks." The she-jackal was only now realizing that Splintnose stunk of no less than twenty bottles of various perfumes.

"Y-you're welcome." Splintnose swallowed. "So..." He tapped at the table. "W-what do you like to eat?"

Across the road the sable's fellow bandits lay hidden in a sweet shop. Jamal's grandmother had no idea why one of her customers (Blacktooth) was dressed like a round bush, why another (Secrat) was propping her feet up on a table and why the third (Green-eyes) was pressing his nose against the window.

"It won't last." The large wolf said darkly.

"Long term relationships are hard to maintain." Blacktooth agreed.

Secrat shook her head and smirked. "Do not doubt the power of perfume. Vanilla is like... omnipotent."

"That is true." The dark-furred sable agreed.

* * *

When not being used as a makeshift Kung Fu dojo the Prophet's former temple was a favourite hangout of the former slaves of Ashtar. The toads, to be fair, had lived there for several years already, and it's universal appeal was easily explained by it's size and location. It was big enough to hold many and far enough from the village that the extremely loud music could not be heard, nor could it bother, anyone.

Putana had not expected much. Perhaps some leftovers she could bully away from her slaves. A pair of new rags to wear. Perhaps even a toad willing to be sacrificed. The Gods had been cruel to her, yet merciful too. She had almost died several times in Ashtar, most likely because she'd failed to sacrifice someone. Yet, most likely because they knew her faith was true and that she would soon burn an innocent toad alive for them, they had been merciful.

She was convinced of this until she burst through her own jewel-encrusted doors to the sound of _'Jay Ho!'_ More than toads were waiting for her. Elephants and tigers and rhinos and even a peacock!

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" She roared. Her _altar!_ Her precious sacrificial altar was topped with snacks! _Snacks!_

The music and singing stopped abruptly as everyone present turned to face her.

"You desecrate the House of the Gods! Y-you tarnish this Holy Land! Your presence offends the very creators of this Universe!" She drew herself to her full height, which did nothing to make herself seem more imposing. "And where is my knife collection? We must make a sacrifice immediately! Or else the heavens above shall smite down, not only us but the whole World!" She pointed a thing finger at one of her former slaves.

This toad was stony-faced and cross-armed as he turned to his fellow party-goers. "Who invited the religious fanatic?"

"I AM NOT A FANATIC! IT IS CALLED FAITH YOU UNHOLY, SACRILEGIOUS SON OF A-" At this point the armless elephant kicked her. Very hard. _"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"_ Putana screamed as she flew through the air, far away from the temple and the peaceful villages.

"Do you think she landed on a rock?" One toad asked, hopefully.

The party went on as if uninterrupted.

Putana did not, in fact, land on a rock. She crashed into a tree. Which dropped a coconut on her. "My... my gods..." She sobbed, every inch of her form wracked with pain. Why had they not saved her temple? Why had they not saved her? Why had they not murdered the impudent ignorants? After a few moments of loud and tearful screaming the Prophet came to a simple conclusion. "My gods aren't _reaaaaaaaaaal!_ " She cried for a very long time after that. Very, very loudly.

* * *

"Surprise." Said Shade, the way he said everything.

"SURPRISE!" Chorused the motley crew of... well Dianbo wasn't sure who had invited the bandits, or Quillus... or the fennec family... or Aryan... or the idiot owl teacher... He also wasn't sure what the surprise was. Before him stood a hut of mud-bricks and red-roofs, distinguished from the other houses by virtue of having a door.

"It's... a hut..." He was well aware huts were being constructed, there was nothing surprising about that. Was this some sort of elaborate prank?

"It's _your_ hut you idiot." Quillus snapped, looking as if he'd been dragged all the way here. His extremely happy-looking bear was probably to blame.

"I see... Oh alright well thank you." Awkwardly he scratched the back of his head. In hindsight it should've been obvious.

 _"Now you look stupid."_

 _"When did you get so rude?"_

 _"Believe me the afterlife is really boring."_

"We even got you a door." Green-eyes was bragging, as if he had had any involvement with getting the door.

"And it's made from ironwood so you can't kick it down." Blacktooth grinned. Dianbo counted zero black teeth.

"We didn't get you any furniture-" Tian Yi began.

"But furniture is really overrated." Splintnose finished. Realizing he'd cut short the she-jackal's sentence he began to spout out excuses. "An-and really hard to make. I can't make furniture! An-and- oh look it's got a window too!"

Dianbo did not notice Sanjay send Secrat a very long and complicated hand signal.

"Oh er- yes." The she-wolf grinned all of a sudden and Dianbo was taken aback. D-did she paint her canines? "Why don't you have a look inside?"

The jackal narrowed his eyes suspiciously, glanced at Sanjay (who was now doing his best to look innocent), before shrugging. "I guess." He padded over to the door and pushed it open.

 _SPLASH!_

Icy cold water (how Sanjay had managed to make it icy cold was a mystery) rained down on the jackal like a monsoon.

 _CLANG!_

It was followed by the sound of a metal bucket hitting a jackal skull.

 _"HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

And the sound of Sanjay laughing. Many snickered and giggled, but not as loudly.

It did not take a Kung Fu Master, or the prodigy of one, to know who was responsible.

* * *

 _Two minutes later..._

* * *

Slowly the sun slipped below the hills and forests, casting it's reddish glow over the land. Against the light and colours, Sanjay and Dianbo were reduced to two black silhouettes. One was laughing and running. The other was pursuing.

Upma echoed with the sound of laughter until the pair of shadows had raced up the hill, down the other side, and far out of sight.

* * *

 _Footnote: Quite a long epilogue, eh? Longest chapter in the story...  
_

 _It probably got that way because as I wrote the characters doing stuff I kept coming up with ideas for how to finish this- the JAY HO sequence was probably a bit random- but I just thought it was a fun bollywood-esque sequence. Dianbo chasing Sanjay has been decided since the start- Quillus had a bit more of a defined redemption, to the point that originally I named the new village after him, but I figured that while he may be seen in a sympathetic light by those who can get into his head (in other words you, my dear readers) he can't just get away with enslaving people. So community service! A tame punishment to be sure, but I'm fond of my brainchild. Tian Yi and Splintnose along with the other bandit scenes, felt like nice touches, so I added them._

 _Vera may have felt a bit underused here... but I'm not done with her yet. Done? I barely started... In other words Vera Darkrose will get a bit more insight in future fics. We will learn more about her and her motives etc eventually. Although I do think it should be obvious what was going on in those Ashtar chapters now. To summarize, Vera arranged for fireworks to be shipped from Gongmen- the same fireworks Secrat happens to have used to blow herself into the arena. They were supposed to have been picked up by Tiberius- who was supposed to bring Dianbo and Shade to the arena, then get the fireworks and place them in strategic places under the city... to blow it all up. It didn't go so well though XD  
_

 _I didn't want to go into toooo much detail about what happened in Ashtar after all the slaves left because that's some rather dark material. Horrible city it may have been it had some sense of order amongst the lawlessness. Not anymore... Will we revisit it? Perhaps..._

 _This was… longer than I expected to be honest. Both in chapter and word count, but that's a good thing. It was definitely a blast to write!  
_

 _Because I do a lot of interconnected stuff I feel certain that we will see all of the cast again at some point... eventually...  
_

 _But I'll be taking a break from India (or well, this version of it anyways) for now. A lot of my focus should be on Black and White (REDWAAAAALL!) And Ancient Greece (about time!)_

 _And my next KFP project (once my other focuses have been satisfied) will be the other half of the Five- long overdue but I've got some good ideas for it._

 _I hope you liked this remake- it's not the last we shall see of Dianbo (Master Fearless Shadow has something good cooking up, and I'm thinking of ripping off the other half of Mattimeo hmmm...) - but for now we'll just let him chase Sanjay into the sunset._

 _Enjoy_


End file.
